A New Beginning
by Iron Zombie
Summary: After attacking Tony during his mission, Charlotte is captured by SHIELD. She holds a secret which stuns everybody, especially Tony Stark. Tony gets involved in some pretty secret stuff, and once Charlotte snoops around, Tony does the unthinkable. How will Charlotte cope?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**Okay, I know what you're all thinking. I'm insane for having four incomplete stories on at once. But I had this idea and I was inspired to write it then and there.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers...**

* * *

"Sir, it appears that some residents in Miami have obtained several Stark Industries weapons." Jarvis informed. Tony flinched before hitting his head. He rolled out from underneath the car rubbing his head.

"How?" he asked, still rubbing his forehead. "I thought I destroyed those years ago."

"I do not know, sir."

"Well, this sounds like a job for Iron Man." Tony said to no one in particular.

He stood on a podium in the middle of his lab.

"Drop my needle." he commanded. Tony performed some ridiculous dance moves to the music that was playing as parts of his suit latched onto his body.

Once the suit completely assembled, Tony started out the lab.

"Give me the coordinates, J."

* * *

Tony landed just outside a building in Miami.

_Time to destroy some Stark tech _he thought.

He stood, viewing the building. Tony was suddenly knocked to the ground. He caught sight of a woman with long brown hair wearing a black cat suit and mask. She quickly crouched next to Tony and held a sonic device by his head, temporarily paralysing him. She was about to pull out some wiring from the suit when she was blasted back by one of Iron Man's famous repulsor rays. The suit stood, supporting Tony. She launched herself at him, quickly engaging into a fight. The suit swung a punch at her head which she successfully dodged. She kicked the middle of the suit's chest causing Tony to stumble slightly backwards. The girl ripped of Tony's helmet and pulled out some of the wiring. She threw the helmet to the side and kicked Tony back again. She turned to walk away when sudden ray blasted out of the arc reactor sending the woman flying backwards. She landed twenty or so meters away from him. Tony cautiously approached her. He kneeled beside her and carefully removed her mask.

Tony was stunned. The girl was young. She looked eighteen, twenty tops. He had to admit, she was beautiful. She had long dark brown wavy hair. She had chocolate brown eyes. She had a strong jawline and high cheek bones.

Tony knew there was more to her than what meets the eye. He carefully lifted her, bridal style, and began his journey to the main SHIELD base.

_Guess the weapons will have to wait_ he thought.

* * *

**A/N**

**Tell me what you think! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers.**

* * *

"Who do you work for?" Natasha demanded. The girl pursed her lips, refusing to say anything.

"Who do you work for?!" the girl continued to remain silent. Natasha placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, electrocuting her with her widow's bites.

"Oww! What was that for?!" the girl whined.

Natasha quickly swabbed the inside of her mouth and handed the DNA to the guard standing at the door.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Natasha said plainly before leaving the room. She found herself in Bruce's lab.

"When will you have the results?"

"Within the next hour." Tony said, looking up from his helmet.

"What happened to your helmet?"

"She happened." he answered.

"Looks pretty messed up."

"Damn right."

* * *

"Results are in. You might want to see this, Tony." Bruce said from behind the computer screen.

Tony walked over to the computer. "Charlotte Matthews." he read out slowly. He read the remainder of the page. "Parents are Imogen Matthews and Anthony STARK?!"

Bruce nodded. "Check again. There must be some sort of mistake!" Tony demanded, shaking his head. "Imogen Matthews? I don't remember sleeping with… oh boy."

"What?"

"17 years ago. Imo, she was this sweet girl, real nice. She had short blonde hair, big blue eyes and the goofiest smile. I can't believe she never told me!"

"Uh, Tony, says here that she died giving birth to Charlotte. She's been living with foster parents, Maya Hansen and Aldrich Killian."

"Aldrich Killian?"

"Yeah, but I guess you have custody now."

"What? No, no, no, no, no, I don't want a kid."

"She just turned sixteen two months ago! She's still a child."

"I can't have a kid! You take her."

"Are you kidding me? The other guy can't handle a teenager."

"What's going on here? Results?" Natasha asked, walking into the lab.

Bruce nodded slowly. Natasha walked toward the computer screen and read the information.

"Oh boy… She's your daughter?"

Tony nodded, swallowing over the massive lump in his throat.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. Put her in the SHIELD junior agent program or something."

"Do you want to talk to her? She's still in the interrogation room."

"Might as well." Tony shrugged and followed Natasha.

Tony entered the interrogation room with Natasha on his tail. Charlotte looked up and her eyes locked with his. Director Fury then entered. He sat across from her. Tony and Natasha stood by the back wall.

"Oh joy, just the person I wanted to see!" she exclaimed sarcastically. Fury glared daggers at her. Charlotte smiled sweetly. "I'm sorry, I don't want to get on the foot. Do I look at the patch or the eye?" she smirked.

Director Fury turned to face Tony. "Yep, she's definitely your daughter."

"What?" her jaw dropped. "You're my dad? Well that sucks." she said to Tony.

"And why is that?" Fury asked her, his eyes narrowing.

Charlotte remained silent. "When do I get out?"

"Now, actually. You'll be moving in with Stark."

"What?" Tony and Charlotte exclaimed in unison. "I'd rather die in a hole than live with that son of a bitch!" she yelled.

Tony's expression fell. He looked hurt.

"Fine then. Lock her up." Fury ordered.

Natasha shot an apologetic look at Tony before handcuffing Charlotte. She spat at Fury as Natasha led her out of the room.

* * *

**A/N**

**Hope you liked it! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**Here's the next chapter! I love all you guys for the reviews and stuff!**

**Disclaimer: I've said this about a million times. I don't own Marvel!**

* * *

"Well that was harsh." Natasha said to Tony on their way back to the lab. "What teenager wouldn't want to be your kid?"

"I was responsible for the deaths of her foster parents."

"Wait, who were her foster parents?"

"Maya and Killian."

"Do you think she's working for AIM?"

"Could be. We'll just have to wait and see."

Loud alarm bells rang throughout the headquarters.

"What's that mean?" Tony asked.

"I think Charlotte escaped." Natasha called as she ran down the hall.

* * *

**Charlotte P.O.V**

"Let go!" I screamed at Natasha. I kicked and struggled but she had a firm grip on me. Natasha hauled open the cell door and shoved me in. She slammed the door shut as I collided with the wall.

I watched as my 'father' and Natasha left.

I leaned back against the wall and stretched my legs out.

I'm such and idiot! If I had let him take me home I would've been able to escape faster. And I could've taken one of his suits. I rested my head against the wall and felt something hard. I felt my hair and found a small object. It was my laser! It was a laser I made that could cut through _anything_.

Oh my god, brainwave! I looked at it, the wall and then back at it. I heard footsteps coming down the hall and I quickly hid the laser in my hair.

After the guards walked by, I stood up and went to the cell door to see if there was anybody nearby. The room was deserted. Weird.

I walked back to the back of the cell, laser in hand. I set it on the highest strength and turned it on. The laser cut through the cement like a dream. It even amazed me.

Once a whole block of the wall had been cut out, I kicked the wall and the massive chunk fell to the ground. I peered out. Boy, I was high up. Very high. Did I mention I was afraid of heights?

Alarm bells sounded through the building. I heard shouts and footsteps. It was now or never. I took a deep breath before jumping. There was an open rubbish bin that was almost full so I aimed to land there.

I crawled out of the bin and started toward the street. I hailed a cab and crawled in.

"Stark Tower please."

The cabbie nodded.

I guess you're wondering why I'm going to Stark Tower…

The cab stopped in front of the large building. I bolted out of the cab before the driver could charge me. I entered the building, beating up the guards as I went. I quickly disabled the security systems before making my way up to what I assumed was the lab.

There I saw several Iron Man suits on display. I grabbed one that was folded into a suitcase before heading to the roof.

I was flying for what felt like hours when I finally saw our base. I landed out front and pulled the suit off with some difficulty. I saw Damien, the new leader after my foster dad died. He glared daggers at me, and to be honest, I was scared.

"Where have you been?" he demanded sharply.

"New York. Stark took me, but I took this." I smirked and gestured to the suit.

He slapped me rather hard. I felt my cheek heating up. "You idiot! Did you give them DNA samples?"

"They took them. It wasn't my fault!"

"Great! Just great!" he yelled sarcastically. He grabbed my arm and dug his fingernails in. I felt my arm burn up due to his cells containing Extremis.

Before I knew it, he shoved my into a dark shipment container and slammed the opening shut. My only light source was coming through the cracks. I pouted. He took my laser!

I was in the container for what seemed like months. I'm starting to think that escaping SHIELD wasn't such a good idea. And I didn't dare to even try to escape. I knew the container was rigged to blow if I even so much as scratched the walls.

I heard the door open and Damien stalked in, whip in hand. He whipped me several times and even threw a few punches. He kicked me hard in the stomach before leaving me again. I didn't even notice I was in tears until he left.

My body was covered in blood, bruises, cuts and red marks from the whip.

Damien came in here twice a day with his precious whip. And I've lost count how many times that has happened.

One of the walls of the container I was in was ripped off. There I saw Iron Man.

That's when everything went black.

* * *

I woke up in a hospital bed in what I assumed was the SHIELD infirmary.

The first thing my eyes landed on was Tony Stark.

"What happened?" I croaked.

"The container was rigged to blow." he explained.

I shut my eyes tightly in pain.

"Charlie…" Tony started before he noticed that I was almost squealing in pain.

"I'll get the doctor."

"No!" I blurted. "I mean, I'm absolutely fine. No need to do anything rash."

"You sure?" I nodded slowly in attempt to avoid the pain in my neck.

"Can I have an American cheese burger? I'm in the mood for a cheese burger."

Tony chuckled, thinking back to the time he had returned from Afghanistan.

* * *

**A/N**

**I know everything in this happened to fast, and I'm sorry. Please review! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

**Hope you like it! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Iron Man. In my dreams...**

* * *

Charlotte slowly chewed on the cheese burger, her jaw hurting with every bite.

"When am I allowed to go home? I'll go crazy if I have to spend another minute in this hell hole." she asked Tony.

"Well, um, I was hoping you would move in with me?" he said more as a question.

"Uh uh, forget it."

Tony looked hurt again. He looked down at the tiles on the floor.

"Just because my DNA says that I'm your daughter does not change _anything_ between us."

"Why do you hate me?" he looked up at her sadly.

"You really wanna know?" Tony nodded.

"You're the reason the only people who ever cared for me are dead! You never even bothered to visit me as a child and you expect me to forgive you just like that?! Not to mention you blew me up." she yelled. Her throat hurt but she continued anyway. "You may be a genius but you sure as hell don't have a heart!"

"Look, Charlotte, I never even knew you were my daughter! And you _beloved_ foster dad was a fucking terrorist. He used you. He didn't love you. He never cared for you. Don't go accusing people when you don't have all your facts straight!" Charlotte looked stunned by his sudden outburst. "You insult me. You steal from me. And what do I do? I fly across the damn country to save your damn life! And what do I get in return? More fucking insults."

Charlotte was speechless. "I… I…"

"Yeah, I thought so." he said before leaving her.

* * *

"Stark, she's moving in whether you like it or not." Directory Fury declared.

"She hates my guts."

"And I'm sure she'll hate them a smidge less once she gets to know you." said Natasha, a smirk appearing on her face.

"I feel _so_ much better." Tony exclaimed, sarcasm plaguing his words.

"Stark." Fury said sternly.

"Okay, okay. I'll have Pepper set up a room for her."

* * *

"Okay, Charlie, let's go." Tony declared upon entering the room.

"What?"

"You're coming home with me. Fury's orders."

"I feel _so_ loved." she said sarcastically, slowly sitting up. She cringed ever so slightly.

"You okay?"

"Hm? Yeah."

"You don't look okay." Tony said, rushing over to the bed to help her. His fatherly instincts were finally kicking in.

"I'm fine trust m- ow."

"Okay, okay." he held his hands up in defeat. "I love our relationship. You pretend to be fine and I pretend I believe you."

She smirked, satisfied with her father's response.

"One question." she started as she stood up, "Why am I wearing this ridiculous hospital gown?"

* * *

Tony jumped in the driver's seat of his Audi R8. He gestured to the passenger seat for Charlotte.

"I believe this is yours." he said, handing her a small object when she buckled up.

"My laser!" she exclaimed excitedly. "How did you-"

"You're welcome."

"Where are we going?"

"Stark Tower."

"That big ugly…" Tony glared at her, "…building in New York?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "My mansion in Malibu is still being rebuilt. We'll move there when it's completed."

Tony noticed her expression change. Guilt swept over her. She didn't want to admit that it was her idea to attack the mansion.

* * *

Tony sped into the garage. He stopped suddenly and hopped out of the car.

"Welcome home, sir." a British voice. Charlotte jumped slightly, startled.

"That's Jarvis. He runs the tower."

"You created an A.I. Why am I not surprised?"

"Because I'm a genius, billionaire, pl-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it."

"Go put your stuff upstairs."

"Uh, what stuff?"

"Right. Jarvis, remind me to send Pepper shopping with Charlie."

"Yes sir."

"You are unbelievable. You're sending your girlfriend to shop for me? I'll go on my own."

"No. You'll probably run away again."

Charlotte shrugged. "That is true."

"Do you want to see your new room?" Tony asked, changing the subject.

"No, not really."

"Huh, most kids would be all over it."

"I'm not most kids."

"Well I'm showing you anyway."

"Yeah whatever."

"Come on grumpy guts." he walked toward the elevator and Charlotte reluctantly followed.

* * *

"Hi sweetie. I'm Pepper." Pepper greeted warmly.

"Bite me." she snapped. "I'm not two. You don't have to talk to me like I'm a child."

Pepper looked shocked. "Don't worry, Pep. If it makes you feel any better, she said she'd rather die in a hole than live with me."

"Where's your luggage?" Pepper asked.

Charlotte ignored the question and looked around the whole living room. "Wow, it's even uglier on the inside." she muttered.

"Let's go see your room."

"Sure, whatever."

"She's rude, she's snarky, she's… Oh my god, she's you." Pepper commented in a hushed voice.

"Hey! I'm not _that_ bad."

"You keep telling yourself that." Pepper patted his shoulder before walking ahead of him.

"This is the best I could do on such short notice." Pepper said before leaving to go to the kitchen.

The room was plain. It had a double bed in the centre with a bedside table sitting beside it. There was another door that led to a wardrobe and yet another one that led to the bathroom.

Charlotte slumped onto the bed and shifted slightly from the uncomfortable clothes.

"Do you need clothes?" he asked, eyeing her.

"What gave you that idea, genius?"

Tony ignored her comment. "I'll see if I can find some of Pepper's clothes. You look her size."

"Thanks."

"Oh my god, Pepper!" Tony called a little excitedly. Pepper quickly came to the room.

"What is it?"

"Her first polite word! She's growing up so fast." A tear slid down his face.

"Stop enjoying this." she snapped.

Tony smirked. Oh, he was enjoying this alright. "Pep, do you have any clothes that Charlie could wear until you two go shopping?"

"Uh, yeah, I might have something." Pepper left and returned quite quickly.

"How about these?" Pepper asked, tossing a pair of jeans and a pink t-shirt to Charlotte.

"It'll do."

Pepper and Tony turned to leave so Charlotte could get changed.

Charlotte collapsed on the bed and was asleep within seconds.

* * *

**Charlotte P.O.V**

_I scrambled out of my room and ran down the hall, slipping at every turn. Damien was nipping at my heels. The hallway was endless. I tripped over a rock which I had no clue why it was there. I stared up in terror. Damien towered over me, smiling psychotically. Splashes of orange lit up his skin._

_"Charlotte, charlotte." he taunted._

"Charlotte, honey, wake up."

I slowly sat up in my new bed. My clothes were wrinkled and my hair was a mess. My back and neck were killing me. Pepper sitting on the edge of my bed. It was then I noticed tears were spilling down my face.

"It's okay, Charlie. It was just a bad dream." Pepper comforted. "A bad dream, that's all."

"D-d-damien. H-h-he w-was h-h-h-h-here." I stuttered. I felt more tears well up in my eyes.

"Who's Damien?" Pepper asked, genuinely confused.

I just shook my head. "No one. He's… he's no one."

* * *

**A/N**

**What did you guys think? Let me know in a review! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

**Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers.**

* * *

"She was with Killian and Maya." Tony told Pepper. Charlotte had heard that comment from her room and had decided to eavesdrop.

"She was with AIM?" Pepper asked, clearly horrified. "Does she have Extremis? Oh my god, she does. I can't bear to know that someone so young could live like that! Tony, you have to help her!" Pepper was rambling and clearly getting on Tony's nerves.

"Geez, Pep. Chill. She doesn't have Extremis." he said in a calm voice. "I know it's hard for you being…" he trailed off.

A sigh of relief escaped Pepper's mouth. "At least you fixed me." she said with a small smile tugging her lips.

From that moment on, Charlotte knew she could trust Pepper.

* * *

"Charlie, do you want to go shopping today?" Pepper asked her. Charlotte was lying on her bed reading a book she found in the tower's library.

"I guess I should. I don't really have any clothes. At all." she said as she flipped the page.

"Do you want any breakfast?"

"Not hungry." she mumbled as she turned the page again. She was a very fast reader.

"Come on then." Charlotte reluctantly put the book down on her bed and followed Pepper to the living room.

"Where are you two going?" Tony inquired.

"The mall. We'll be back later." Pepper answered

"Have fun! And keep the tab under a million, will ya?" Tony joked.

* * *

"So which store do you want to go to first?" Pepper asked as they entered the mall.

"Essentials ones."

After visiting the essentials stores, Pepper and Charlotte went to the juice bar.

"What juice do you want?" Pepper asked.

"I'm fine."

"Charlotte, what juice?"

"You don't need to spend any more money on me. You're already paying for the clothes."

"Charlie, it's totally fine."

"Fine, you win. I'll have a tropical." Charlotte cracked her first genuine smile.

* * *

"What's next?"

"Forever 21 looks pretty cool."

"Forever 21 it is."

The two entered the store and Charlotte rushed over to the accessory section.

"Oh my god, Pepper, look at this beanie! It's so cute!" Charlotte held up a pale pink beanie. She placed it on her head.

"You look adorable." Pepper commented.

Charlotte took the beanie of her head and walked over to the bottoms section.

"I like these." she pulled out a pair of pale green skinny jeans from the rack.

"Try 'em on. I'll find some other clothes." Charlotte casually walked to the fitting rooms.

Pepper was browsing through the numerous racks when one dress in particular caught her eye. It was a sleeveless paneled A-line dress with a faux leather skinny belt. It had a round neckline and was an orange coral colour. Pepper grabbed the dress and hurried over to the fitting rooms. Charlotte was standing in the hallway examining herself in the green skinny jeans.

"Looking good." Pepper commented. Charlotte turned to face her.

"You really think so?"

Pepper nodded. "Try this one on."

Charlotte accepted the dress and returned to the fitting room. Two minutes later she emerged from the fitting room.

"How do I look?"

"Gorgeous."

Charlotte walked back into the changing room. She exited wearing her original clothes and carrying the dress, the pale blue and pale green skinny jeans and the beanie she saw before.

"Anything else you like in this store?" Pepper asked. Charlotte shook her head.

The girls walked to the cash register and Pepper paid with the credit card Tony had given her.

"Do you want to check out Converse?" Pepper asked.

"Might as well."

They walked into the store and Charlotte immediately spotted a pair of completely black high top converse shoes..

"I have to have these!" She grabbed the shoes in her size and ran to a chair to try them on.

"Do you like these?" Pepper held up a pair of purple high top converse.

Charlotte nodded eagerly.

* * *

Pepper and Charlotte roamed aimlessly through the mall, swinging their overloaded bags. Pepper's feet ached in her high heels, so they headed to some benches by a fountain that spurted water, glowing with blue LED lights. A couple of people leant against it, including a little boy tossing coins into the rippling water. It happened in a flash.

A man silhouetted against the fountain slightly burned orange. The colour caught Charlotte's eye.

"We have to go." she hissed to Pepper. She grabbed Pepper's arm and pulled her away from the fountain.

"What's wrong?" Pepper's eyes landed on the man at the fountain. "Extremis." she whispered.

"It's Damien. He's here. We have to get out."

"Damien?"

"Tell you later. Run!"

By then Damien had noticed Charlotte and took off after them.

Pepper stopped for a moment to take off her heel. She was about aside when Charlotte snatched them and hurled them in Damien's direction as a distraction. She grabbed her cherished laser and aimed it at Damien's chest. She smoothly sliced through his body. He collapsed, roaring in pain. Extremis pulsed through his body, regenerating his limbs.

Charlotte once again grabbed Pepper's slim arm and sprinted out of the mall with Pepper in tow.

* * *

"Now will you explain to me who that man was?" Pepper asked when they entered the tower. "And when you say Damien, do you mean the one you mentioned in your dream?"

"Yeah, he was the guy from my dream. He took over Dad's… I mean Aldrich's position as leader."

"And he's after you?"

"Yes. I used to trust him until he l-locked me up and ab-ab-abused m-me." she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

* * *

**A/N**

**Ooh, looks like Charlotte gained a stalker... Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

**Hey guys! Sorry for the late update. I was really overwhelmed with school work and exams and studying and all that stuff. I have two freaking exams tomorrow! Anyway, I'll shut up so you can read the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: *sighs* I don't own the Iron Man. You know what I would really like for my next birthday? *cough* Marvel *cough***

* * *

"Charlie, wake up!" Tony whispered loudly. He was sitting the edge of her bed attempting to wake her from her slumber.

She smacked him on the head with a lot of force.

"I'm not an alarm clock!" Tony exclaimed, rubbing his head.

"Leave me alone, Stark." she hissed sleepily.

"Do you want to go sightseeing or not?"

Charlotte sat up. "With you? No."

"At least think about it."

"Okay…" she paused, pretending to think. "…not gonna happen."

"Charlie." Tony whined.

Pepper appeared in the doorway. "Charlie, breakfast is ready."

"Coming." she yawned. "Stark, get off my bed."

"I never thought I would be on a last name basis with my own child." he muttered under his breath.

Charlotte ignored him and rolled off the bed. She slowly walked to the living room in her pyjamas, still half-asleep.

"Is there any juice? I'm in the mood for juice. Where is the juice?" she asked loudly.

"It's in the fridge. I made waffles."

"I'm not hungry. I just want juice. Why is there a freaking code on this fridge that is keeping me from my juice?!"

"The code is 0105."

"That's my birthday. Why is my birthday keeping me from my juice?" Charlotte demanded as she tapped the code in and opened the fridge. "Woah, there is a lot of juice in here."

"I have never heard anybody say the word 'juice' seven times in less than one minute." Tony said, amazed.

"Charlie, you haven't eaten anything since you came here. All you've had is juice!" Pepper said.

"I'm not hungry! I had a cheese burger."

"That was two days ago." Tony added.

"Stark, stop acting like you care."

"Seriously? You two are on a last name basis?" Pepper asked, seemingly shocked.

Tony left the room without a word.

"Charlotte, give him a chance. He's trying to be the best father he can." Pepper said softly.

"Fine." she sighed.

* * *

Charlotte stood in front of the elevator. She wore pink skinny jeans, a white adidas shirt, black high top converse and a pink beanie over her long curly hair. She impatiently tapped her foot on the floor while waiting for Tony.

Tony strode to the elevator and pressed the button. He wore regular jeans, a Black Sabbath t-shirt and a black leather jacket with black shoes and his signature sunglasses.

"Ready?"

"No, I've just been standing here for the past five minutes waiting for you for no reason at all." she replied sarcastically.

"Let's go then."

* * *

"Where do you want to go first?" he asked. They were sitting in Tony's Audi R8, still in the garage.

Charlotte shrugged her shoulders and kept her sight trained on the airbag compartment in front of her.

"I'll show you… the beach."

They drove in silence. A few times Tony tried to strike up conversation.

"So, how do you like the tower?"

"It's okay."

"Are you settling in well?"

"Sort of."

Tony stopped the car at the beach. It was a cold day and the beach was pretty much deserted.

"So… do you want ice cream or something?" Charlotte shook her head. The two stood still, gazing out at the ocean.

"You sure?" he asked a moment later.

She nodded. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah, sure."

They trudged back to the car.

Instead of going straight home, Tony took Charlotte to a diner. He was beginning to worry about Charlotte not eating.

"Why are we here?" she asked as they sat down at a booth. An elderly woman approached.

"What can I get you two?"

"I'll have a cheese burger and fries."

"And you, hun?"

"Nothing for me, thanks."

"She'll have a cheese burger, fries and a chocolate milkshake."

She quickly scribbled down their order before dawdling back to the kitchen.

"Okay, spill." Tony demanded casually.

"What?"

"Something is clearly bothering you."

"Nothing is bothering me."

"I've lied too many times to know when someone is lying."

"I'm fine." she growled.

"Why don't I believe you?" he asked rhetorically.

"I told you, I'm okay."

"Damn it, Charlotte! Tell me what the fuck is bothering you!"

"You don't want to know."

"I sure as hell do."

"Fine. We ran into Damien at the mall yesterday. He was after me." she said quietly. "There. You happy?"

"That son of a bitch." Tony murmured.

The waitress had returned with a tray containing two fries, two cheese burgers and a milkshake. She gave Tony a burger and fries and handed the rest to Charlotte.

"Thank you." Tony said quietly. The woman nodded and walked away.

"How'd you get away?" Tony asked, biting his cheese burger.

"I had my laser on me."

"That was lucky. You did a fine job with it." he remarked. "Tell you what, I'll help you upgrade it, maybe disguise it into something."

She nodded. Charlotte slowly stirred the milkshake with the straw.

"Tell me more about yourself."

Charlotte shrugged in response and continued to stir her cool beverage.

"What's your favourite colour?"

"Pink." she muttered simply.

"Mine's hot rod red."

"I like hot rod red."

"You like animals? What's your favourite animal?"

"Capuchins."

"They're pretty cute, huh?"

She nodded briefly.

"Do you like playing any sports?"

She shook her head. "Not a big fan of sports. I like skateboarding though."

"I loved skateboarding as a kid! I remember trying to do this wicked trick but I kinda fell and broke my board… And my arm."

Charlotte could only grin at that. Tony grinned in response, satisfied he could make her crack a smile.

"What else do you like to do?"

"Um, I like singing and playing guitar."

"Where'd you learn to play guitar?"

"Mum taught me."

"Maya?"

Charlotte nodded.

"What's your favourite food?"

"Donuts." she answered almost instantly.

Tony had finished his burger and fries. "Are you going to eat that?" Tony asked her. She shook her head.

"Can we get this to go?" Tony asked loudly to get the waitress's attention.

The elderly woman hurried over with a brown paper bag and a paper cup for the milkshake.

* * *

Tony quickly swerved into the parking lot of Randy's Donuts. He leapt out of the car.

"Wait here." he said to Charlotte before running inside. He quickly returned with a large box of cinnamon donuts, half were filled with jam. He sat in the car and handed her the box.

"For you." he said. She took the box and put it on her lap.

Before they left, a store a block down from the donut shop caught Tony's eye. It was a music shop.

"Put those in the boot." he ordered. He stepped back out of the car as Charlotte placed the food in to boot. Tony was walking toward Allan's Music. Charlotte walked three metres behind him.

They entered the store and Charlotte found herself following Tony to the guitar section.

"Take a pick."

"What? No."

Tony ignored her. "What do you prefer? Classical, acoustic or electric?"

"I usually play on an acoustic or an electric."

"Try some out."

Charlotte awkwardly took a guitar that suited her liking and sat down. She positioned the guitar in her arms and rested it on her leg. She started with a few chords which then transformed into the instrumental for an Ed Sheeran song.

"Try this one." Tony handed her an electrical guitar. It was connected to an amplifier which Tony had connected headphones to. He gave her the headphones and she started another song. It was Back In Black by AC/DC. Tony grinned and nodded at her song choice.

Charlotte tried out a few more guitars.

"Which ones do you like?"

"I can't decide between this Fender," she gestured to a pale blue Fender, "and this one." she gestured to an acoustic guitar.

"We'll take both."

"No, I don't need either. It's just a hobby."

"You need both."

* * *

**A/N**

**Okay, so this was kind of a filler chapter. Nothing really drastic going on. The next chapter will be like this but hopefully the one after will be action-packed. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

**Hey guys! Here is a longer chapter! The last part is very action-packed so bear with me through the first three quarters.**

**Disclaimer: I own the Avengers. **

**Did you think I was serious? Well, I wasn't.**

* * *

"You," Tony pointed at Charlotte, "are singing at the benefit tonight, Miss Matthews."

"Uh, why?" Charlotte asked him.

"Because you can sing and all the other bands bailed on me." Tony claimed.

"Mmhmm, you forgot to book a band, didn't you?"

"Please, you'd save your daddy's butt. Just help me out."

"But I'm no good!"

"You like singing, don't you?"

Charlotte nodded.

"So it sucks, big deal. As long as you have fun then I really don't care how good it is."

"Fine, Stark. Under one condition, I get to wear whatever I want, no objections whatsoever." Charlotte demanded.

"Done and done. Just please make it something nice."

"Duh!"

"Good girl." Tony patted her head as he walked away. "I'll be down in the shop if you need me." he called out.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and walked to her room. She shook her head upon entrance. The plainness was bothering her. It was dull and did not suit Charlotte's style, _at all_.

* * *

Charlotte sat on her bed in silence. She stared aimlessly at the view of the city. She heard a gentle knock on the door followed by a "Can I come in?"

It was Pepper.

Charlotte nodded. After a second, she face-palmed after realising Pepper couldn't see her.

"Sure."

Pepper opened the door slowly and stepped in. She approached Charlotte and sat beside her on the bed.

"Are you feeling okay? You seem a bit lonely."

"I'm fine." she snapped a little harsher than she intended.

"You hungry? Do you want any juice?"

Charlotte chuckled softly. "No, I'm fine. And I don't want any juice."

"Your father's down in the lab if you want to join him."

"Nah." her expression darkened slightly but she quickly masked it.

"There is a library on level 43 if you want to read anything."

"He owns a library?"

"You'd be surprised." Pepper said. "There's also some music books up there if you're interested."

"Maybe later."

Pepper stood and faced Charlotte. She smiled slightly. "Well if you need anything, I'll be in living room and Jarvis will be… everywhere."

Charlotte nodded and Pepper left.

* * *

Tony's eyes were glued to the screen. He had a live feed coming from Charlotte's room and his attention turned to the screen when Pepper came into the picture.

He watched and listened to their conversation when something caught his eye.

"Jarvis, go back six seconds… there… zoom in on Charlie's face. Play it in slow-mo."

Tony stared intently at his daughter's face. He watched her expression darken briefly at the mention of his name. She seemed almost… afraid.

He replayed the video over a few more times, studying her face.

He realised that her snarky, mean attitude was a mask. She was truly afraid. Afraid of him. Or maybe she wasn't afraid of _him_. Maybe she was scared that he couldn't protect her. Protect her from that man who seems to always find her.

* * *

Charlotte lied on her bed with her bed with her acoustic guitar on top of her stomach. She strummed a few chords and hummed a soft tune.

"Mr Stark has requested your presence in the workshop, ma'am."

"Tell him I'm busy. And cut the 'ma'am' crap. I'm not old."

"Charlie, get your ass down here. I have to show you something." Tony said over the intercom.

"I'm busy, Stark." she sang.

"Remember how I promised you that we'd upgrade your laser?"

"Yeah."

"I tinkered with it a bit."

"What did you do to it?!" she sounded alarmed. She felt her pockets and it wasn't there.

"You'll have to see for yourself."

"Okay, okay, I'm coming."

Charlotte placed the guitar on the stand and made her way down to the shop. She impatiently waited for the elevator to arrive.

Once she arrived downstairs, she tapped the code (0105) into the holographic key pad. She pushed open the door and walked over to Tony who was hunched over a bench.

"Here it is. New and improved."

Charlotte took the laser in her hand. "It's a lot lighter. What's this? Gold titanium alloy?" she commented. Charlotte pointed the laser at target and pressed the button. The ray made a clean hole in the target on contact.

"Sure is. It can work as a light or it can slice through the toughest materials on earth." he said. He then gestured to the workbench. Tony stepped away from the workbench. Charlotte approached. Her eyes widened. On the work bench laid a silver chain necklace with a guitar pendant and a diamond on the side of the guitar.

"Just press the diamond and your laser will shoot out of the sound hole." Charlotte nodded and kept her gaze fixed on the necklace.

Tony lifted the necklace carefully. He stood behind Charlotte and put the necklace around her neck before clasping it.

"Stark, this is… pretty. And shiny."

"You're seriously calling me Stark after I gave you the most amazing laser necklace ever?"

Charlotte smirked but said nothing.

"Have you eaten those donuts yet?"

"Maybe."

Tony snatched the laser from her. "Bring the donuts down and then you can have your laser."

"Fine." Charlotte stomped out of the shop.

* * *

She returned ten minutes later with a large box of donuts and her milkshake from earlier. She placed the box on the table and took a sip of her milkshake.

"There's only half here." Tony remarked.

"I know. I ate all the plain ones."

"You said you didn't eat any."

"No I didn't. I said I maybe had some."

"No you didn't."

"Actually, sir, Miss Stark did say maybe." Jarvis corrected.

"Shut up." Tony said, looking down. "Charlotte, go get ready for the benefit."

"'Kay." she said before running toward the elevator, her new necklace flopping all over the place.

* * *

Pepper rummaged through Charlotte's closet, helping her pick out a dress for the evening.

"How about this one?" Pepper held out a nice purple strapless dress that reached mid-thigh.

"Nah. I might wear it another time. Plus I want to wear something more me."

"More you." Pepper repeated. She then pulled out a nice pink strapless eyelash lace dress.

"Perfect." Charlotte grabbed the dress. Pepper left the walk-in closet and Charlotte put the dress on. It reached just above the middle of her thighs. Charlotte found a thin black leather belt in one of the drawers and put it around her waist.

She opened the door to the closet and walked out to Pepper who was sitting on the edge of Charlotte's bed.

"You look pretty. Now let's do you hair and make-up." Pepper said. She wheeled a chair into the bathroom. She then grabbed a hair straightener and a brush.

Charlotte sat patiently in the chair in front of the mirror as Pepper brushed out all of the knots from her hair. She then proceeded to straighten her curls.

After about half an hour, Charlotte looked stunning. She wore her dress and her hair was straight but styled to look wind-blown.

"Okay, put your shoes on and your dad and I will meet you there. It would be suspicious if you came with us so Happy will drive you first."

Charlotte nodded. Pepper left her room to get ready and grabbed her black converse high tops. She quickly put them on and tied the laces before walking off to the living room where Tony was sitting on the couch in clothes that were covered in grease.

"Well, look at you all dressed up." Tony said, turning around. Charlotte nervously fiddled with her new necklace.

His eyes were suddenly drawn to her feet. "Why are you wearing converse? This is a formal event." Tony criticized.

"You said I could wear whatever I wanted. So I did." she said defensively.

"Fine. You really are weird, aren't you?"

"I can live with that."

* * *

Happy opened the door for Charlotte and then led her inside the hall. The space was large, set up with too many tables and chairs to count. At the end of the hall there was a large stage with a piano, a row of guitars and a microphone set up.

"You'll be fine on your own?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, and I have my laser." she said with a shy smile.

"I'll be back with Tony and Pepper soon."

"See you."

Happy waved at her before turning around and leaving. Charlotte watched him leave before walking up the stairs of the stage and walking back behind the curtains.

She mentally made a list of songs she was going to sing.

_La-la Land by Demi Lovato_

_Here's To Never Growing Up by Avril Lavigne_

_Whiplash by Selena Gomez_

_This Love by Maroon 5_

_Army of Two by Olly Murs_

_Bang Bang Bang by Selena Gomez_

_That should be enough._

Charlotte sang each song through a few times each while she waited for Tony to arrive. She felt a soft tap on her shoulder and she spun around to see Tony standing there wearing a suit and tie.

"You ready?"

"Yes. But it's your fault if I embarrass myself."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Um, is there like a guest list and security guards and stuff so no one who isn't invited can get in?" she asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry, I won't let Damien anywhere near you."

Charlotte gulped. "No, I'm not worried about him. I just don't want… um… anyone to attack you… yeah, we don't want any villains in here." she said, scrambling for an excuse.

Tony looked at her sceptically. "Whatever you say. You take the stage in five minutes, right after my speech."

Charlotte nodded and sat behind the curtain. She peered out and saw a lot of Stark Industries employees filing into the room. Too many people.

She leaned back in her chair.

Charlotte face palmed. She needed the instrumental to each of her songs!

She found a computer that controlled the speakers and whatnot. She quickly found all the instrumentals to her songs and downloaded them. She gave a quick test run to all of them when she realised Tony was finishing his speech. She was up!

Charlotte grabbed the small remote that controlled the stage and walked out onto the stage where Tony stood seconds ago. She scanned the crowd for Pepper. There were lots of people sitting and chatting and not paying attention to the stage. Whew!

She grasped the microphone and announced the first song she was singing.

_"I am confident, but I still have my moments. Baby, that's just me. I'm not a supermodel. I still eat McDonald's. Baby, that's just me."_

_"…"_

_"Who said I can't wear my Converse with my dress? Well baby, that's just me." _ She looked at Tony while singing that part with a smirk plastered on her face. She suddenly noticed the whole crowd's eyes were on her. She continued to sing and tried to ignore everyone.

* * *

Charlotte had sung every song on her list. When she finished the last line of 'Bang Bang Bang' she bowed and smiled.

"This one is for the man of the night, Mr Tony Stark!" she announced. She turned around and grabbed an electric guitar from a stand. Charlotte set up the amplifier and connected it to the guitar.

Sure enough, Charlotte started playing Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC. What wasn't expected was that she was to sing, too. Scream, more like

_All you women who want a man of the street, don't know which way you want to turn. Just keep coming and put your hand out to me 'cause I'm the one who's gonna make you burn."_

Charlotte smiled as the audience, bar Tony, groaned and blocked their ears with their hands. She loved their reactions. Charlotte's eyes landed on one person she hoped she would never see again. Damien.

Charlotte shrieked loudly into the microphone before flinging the guitar to the side and running back stage. Damien was already ahead of her. She had run right into him.

"Let her go." a voice said from behind them. It was Tony in his Iron Man suit.

"And if I don't?" Damien asked daringly.

"Hey Charlie, remember that necklace I gave you?" Charlotte's eyes widened. She grabbed her necklace with her free hand and aimed the sound hole of the guitar at Damien's eye. She pressed the crystal and the laser shot out at him, blinding him. She moaned in pain and released his grip on her.

Charlotte scrambled to the side when Tony lunged at Damien and tackled him to the ground. Tony delivered numerous punches to Damien's head until Damien suddenly grabbed his wrists. He was heating the suit and thus short-circuiting it. Tony flung the malfunctioning gauntlet off his body, and then his helmet. Damien took this opportunity to punch Tony hard in the jaw and the in the nose. Tony then kicked Damien's crotch but he resisted and sent a blow to Tony's head.

Tony was barely conscious, he couldn't move.

Damien stood and stalked over to Charlotte who made an attempt to run. He grabbed her waist tightly and pulled her away.

"DADDY!" an extremely loud bloodcurdling scream escaped her lips as she was hauled away.

* * *

**A/N**

**Did you guys like it?**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**You've gotten this far, you might as well leave a review ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**

**Here it is! Sorry it's short but I couldn't think of anything great to write.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. **

* * *

Charlotte P.O.V

"What do you want from me?! I'm no use to you!" I screamed as Damien tossed into into a cage. The metal bars were rusting and I could just tell by looking at it that I should've gotten a tetanus shot. He slammed the door shut and fiddled with the lock.

Damien chuckled. "Why do you automatically think this is about you?"

I scowled. Why would he take me if he didn't want me? I kicked the cage door with all my might but to my dismay it didn't budge. It only caused my foot to throb painfully.

"Then why?"

"AIM needs Tony. You are the bait." Damien answered very matter-of-factly.

"Perfect." I exclaimed sarcastically. "Do you really think that Stark will work for you? After all you people did to him and Pepper and now me, you still think he'll give in? Wow. You guys are incredibly stupid, you know that?"

"Shut up you little brat!" he spat. He swung the cage door open and kicked me right in the chest. I stumbled backwards and I collided with the spikes at the rear of the cage. I was totally winded. I couldn't breathe, let alone fight. I could feel blood drip from my back. He lifted me at least three feet off the ground and then slammed me right back down. I landed stomach-first on a jagged rock which I wasn't aware of before. It sliced through my chest and belly. I could feel blood spurting out of the gash. I felt blood trickling down the side of my face. I must've somehow cut it on impact with the ground. I let out a soft moan.

He suddenly delivered a hard kick to my head. I screamed in pain. Tears were streaming down my bloody face and I could feel my body throb.

"That'll teach ya." he muttered before shutting the door and leaving me to bleed out.

* * *

Tony's P.O.V

I lied on the ground replaying what just happened. Charlotte being dragged away by that ass. It brought tears to my eyes. Very rare.

I could hear her scream pierce the air. Then the sound of heels clicking on the tiles.

"Tony! Are you okay?" Pepper kneeled by my side, her hand swiftly moving through my bloody hair.

"Charlotte." I croaked.

"Tony, we'll find her." Pepper said reassuringly though the look in her eyes didn't fool me.

I started to rise but the pain was too much. I gently laid back down.

"Tony, her secret's safe. Happy and Rhodey kicked everyone out as soon as Charlotte ran behind." Pepper spoke again.

I could feel anger bubble inside me. "I don't care about the stupid secret! I just want her back!" I yelled harsher than intended.

I pushed myself up off the ground despite the unbearable pain.

"Pepper," I called, "tell Happy to get the car. My suit is too damaged for me to fly back home."

Pepper nodded and walked away. There was obvious immense worry in her eyes.

* * *

I burst out of the elevator and tapped in the code to enter the lab. I pushed open the door and rushed over to the biggest of all of my screens.

"Jarvis. Trace Charlotte."

"Searching." Jarvis replied.

"How long?" I asked.

"Estimated time: 45 minutes."

"God damn it!" Tony smacked the table in frustration.

"Sir, I suggest you take this time to take a shower." Jarvis suggested oh so kindly.

"You're probably right. Alert me if you find anything."

"For you, always, sir."

* * *

Tony returned from the bathroom and found that the results were almost in. The loading bar was up to 98%.

99%

100%

"Sir, there are no traces of Miss Matthews."

"What do you mean?!" Tony yelled.

"I do not know Miss Matthews' location."

"How could this happen?"

"There is a high possibility that she is situated somewhere underground where there is no satellite signal." Jarvis clarified.

"It was a rhetorical question." Tony muttered. "Jarvis, I want you to gain access to all satellites. Hack NASA if you have to."

* * *

"What happened to you?" he said to me. "Why did you go with them?"

"Savin." I croaked. "Get me out of here. Please."

I watched his jaw move up and down as he chewed his cherished gum.

"I'll see what I can do." he whispered before yelling "Stop moping around!"

He winked at me before walking away.

* * *

**A/N**

**What will happen? Is Eric Savin a true ally? Haha, only i know..**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**

**Hey guys, sorry this one's a bit short. I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer so... yeah. I'd also like to thank all my reviewers! You guys are awesome and I'm sorry I havent been saying it enough. I love you all. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers**

* * *

Charlotte P.O.V

I couldn't sleep. No matter how tired I was, I just couldn't. Every time I shut my eyes, my vision was plagued with images of Tony and Pepper. I was only with them a short time and I hadn't gotten to know them very well but I missed them terribly.

Then Savin entered my thoughts. He was my babysitter as a child. He would care for me when Aldrich and Maya went on trips like the time they went undercover to a conference in Bern, Switzerland. I remembered how he pushed me on the swing in the yard and how read to me before bed. The thought brought a smile to my face. I just hope what he said to me earlier was true, that he would help me.

Speak of the devil. Eric walked past my cell and quickly tossed me a cinnamon donut.

"Savin, where's my coffee?!" I could hear Damien yell.

"Coming boss!" Eric yelled before running down the hall.

I bit into the donut. It was a bit stale but tasted quite good. I chewed slowly to savour the taste. This might be the last thing I eat in a while…

* * *

Eric Savin P.O.V

I studied Charlotte as I tossed her the donut. She wasn't herself, I could tell you that. Well who was when they were beaten senseless for no particular reason?

Her hair was knotty, grimy and bloody. Her dress was ripped in several places. A deep gash ran through her stomach and chest and another few on her back. There was a bump on her head as well as a cut running down the left hand side of her face. Her eyes were filled with anger, grief and confusion instead of the usual mask she wears.

"Savin, where's my coffee?!" Damien yelled to me.

"Coming boss!" I yelled in response before running down the hall.

"Is that my coffee?" he demanded when he saw me.

I handed it to him. "Yes boss. Don't you think it's time to reveal our location? If Charlotte is the bait then we need to lure Stark in."

"Shut up and go back to work." Damien spat at me.

Well, it was worth a shot.

* * *

Tony P.O.V

"Jarvis, Anything?" I demanded from my A.I.

"Nothing yet, sir."

I slammed my fist on the table. I've been up for the past seventy-two hours and I have no leads to finding Charlotte. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. El-zippo.

Why was this so hard? How was I not receiving a _single_ signal from her? Where were they keeping her?

I heard the clicks of Pepper's heels on the tiles.

"Tony, tony, you need to go to bed. This isn't healthy." she warned as she gently put a hand on my shoulder.

I just shook my head and pushed her away.

"You've been up for the past 72 hours."

"Tell me, Pepper, what would you do? What would you be doing if it was _your_ daughter stuck with some psycho and you couldn't find her?"

Pepper paused. "The same thing." she said quietly before putting a mug of coffee on the table and walking off.

I waited until Pepper closed the door and was out of earshot.

"Okay, that's it. I can't stand this! Jarvis, narrow down the possible locations of Damien or Charlotte. I'm going in myself."

A map of the United States appeared as a hologram with information on each state.

"Not Nebraska," I said as he grabbed the holographic state and put it in the holographic bin.

I did the same with Iowa, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

"Great!" I exclaimed, my words dripping with sarcasm. "That just leaves forty-three states."

"Sir, I highly recommend you have a rest. Your brain cannot function effectively and your chances of finding Miss Matthews will be higher after rest." Jarvis said.

"Since when did you become my mother?"

* * *

I sat at the desk in the lab, drumming my fingers on it anxiously. I haven't slept for the past five days, awaiting for Jarvis to get a hit on Charlie. It's really getting on my nerves, not knowing where she is. I've narrowed the location down to Florida, Pennsylvania and Nevada. Jarvis was now thoroughly searching through each of them.

"How are you not getting a signal from the chip in her necklace?" I asked worriedly.

"Miss Matthews is most likely in a location without satellite connection." Jarvis clarified.

Five minutes passed. Ten. Twenty.

The screen suddenly blinked.

Tony quickly scanned the screen before yelling. "I have a hit!"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait and the short chapter. I had writers block with this one. So... yeah. **

* * *

The little blinking light began that was Charlotte to move west.

"Jarvis, make a flight plan." Tony ordered as he suited up.

In his suit, among all the other parts of the screen, the left half of the screen presented a map with a little dot slowly making its way west.

* * *

Tony flew over desert, no lift in sight. The map said Charlotte was here. All Tony could see was a hippie van slowly driving. Tony figured Charlotte had to be inside.

From a distance, Tony shot all of the tires of the van before landing before it. He threw open the door and pulled out the man in the driver's seat.

"Where is she?" he demanded.

"Who?" The man looked dazed.

Tony released his grip on the man. "No funny business," he ordered before walking to the side of the van and sliding the door open. It was empty except for small boxes of junk.

Suddenly it struck him. Her necklace. He saw it dangling from the hippie's pocket. The man caught Tony looking.

"Hey man, I don't want any trouble-" he started.

Tony yanked the necklace from the man's pocket before taking off, leaving the hippie in a daze.

* * *

Charlotte lay against the bars of the cage. Eric Savin suddenly ran up and threw open the cage door.

"Come on, Damien's out cold. We don't have much time." he hissed, pulling Charlotte's hand to help her get up.

The pulled her arm and ran to help her keep up. The injuries were too much but the adrenalin helped Charlotte bear the pain. She hobbled as fast as she could behind him until they reached a staircase. Savin kept a tight grip on her hand and pulled her up the stairs.

Once they reached to top of the stairs, Savin pushed up a metal plate. Charlotte squinted. It seemed as though she hadn't seen sunlight for years. Savin climbed out before pulling Charlotte out behind him.

They were in an alley somewhere.

Savin secured the plate back into place. When he turned, Charlotte attacked him with a hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she squealed.

Savin then pushed her toward a wall and pinned her against it. He tried to place a kiss on Charlotte's lips but she kicked him with all the strength she had. He stumbled backward. Charlotte took off before Eric could regain his balance.

She ran as fast as she could, Savin not far behind.

* * *

Tony began his journey home, the necklace secured in the suit. He spotted a girl running from an older man down on a deserted street. Charlotte.

Tony flew full speed toward the man, trying to gain as much momentum as he could. He flew right into the man, Eric Savin, knocking the man unconscious from the powerful blow.

By then, Charlotte had tears streaming down her face. Tony's suit opened from the front. He ran toward his injured daughter. He wrapped her in a tight hug.

Charlotte buried her head into his chest. "He was… and I was…" she blubbered into is shirt in an attempt to explain the situation.

Tony stroked her back. "Shh, shh, it's going to be okay," he said in a comforting tone

They stayed in that position for ten minutes, Tony refusing to let his daughter go. He then decided it was time to return home. He quickly assembled in his suit before picking Charlotte up, bridal style.

* * *

Tony landed on the balcony of Stark Tower with Charlotte in his arms. Pepper, hearing the sound of Tony landing, rushed outside.

"Tony, where have you been? I've been…" she started, "Oh my god, Charlotte, sweetie." Pepper cried, surprised by all the injuries Charlotte had acquired.

Tony carried Charlotte inside before carefully laying her down on the couch.

"We need to clean you up and then get those injuries looked at." Pepper said.

Charlotte nodded, still teary from before.

Pepper glanced at Tony with a 'what-is-going-on?' look.

"From what I've gathered, Savin tried to rape her." Tony explained briefly.

Charlotte nodded, more tears forming in her eyes.

"Oh god." Pepper muttered.

* * *

**A/N**

**Please review and I promise the next chapter will be longer and better.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**

**Oh my gosh guys I am SO sorry for the wait. It's just... I'm like a cat. I see something shiny and drop what I'm doing instantly (Is that what cat's do? Or is it birds?). That kinda happened to me since Wimbledon started. Any of you watching it?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Iron Man.**

* * *

Charlotte P.O.V.

I sat on my bed, clutching my stomach. Boy, it hurt like hell. My dad paced around my room. He was on the phone with some guy named Bruce Banner. Well, he wasn't really _on_ the phone. He was talking through Jarvis. Then it dawned on me. It was Dr Bruce Banner! _The _Bruce Banner.

"Please, Bruce, you're my only hope!" my father begged.

The phone was set on speaker mode so Charlotte could hear the other end. "Tony, it's the middle of the night!"

"Please, I really need your help."

"Fine."

The line went dead.

"How are you doing?" he asked me. What could I say? 'Dad, I feel like shit'? That would only worry him. "I'm okay."

"I'm going to _kill_ Savin. What he did to you was wrong."

"Understatement of the century," I said obnoxiously.

"There's my girl," Tony said cheerfully, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

I looked up at him. "I lost my necklace," I admitted sadly. He just gave it to me and I _lost _it. He was going to kill me!

"Meh. Oh my god, Charlie, you look like you're about to go to jail!" he laughed.

"Y-you're not mad?"

"Jeez, it's just a necklace. And how could I be mad? I have my daughter back!" I smiled lightly. "Besides, I found it when I was looking for you."

"You did?"

Tony rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uh, yeah, I kinda snatched it off a hippie when I was looking for you."

I giggled. Wow, this man was full of surprises. It suddenly dawned on me. All those people were at the benefit and I made a huge scene. The world was bound to know Tony Stark had a daughter. "Do they know?" He seemed to understand what I was getting at.

"No. Pepper and Happy managed to clear the hall as soon as you ran backstage."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Okay."

* * *

Dad burst into my bedroom with Bruce close behind. He was carrying a huge box with what I guessed were medical supplies. He looked so much nicer and, I guess I shouldn't say 'innocent' per se, but sweet than when he was in his 'enormous-green-rage-monster' form. They walked straight to my bed, not like they could've taken a detour anyway.

"Bruce, I need you to … just do everything you can," Tony said rather desperately.

"Who is this?" Bruce asked as he eyed my beaten body. Who could blame him? I was a mess

"Charlotte, Bruce. Bruce, Charlotte," Tony said quickly, "She's my daughter."

"You have a daughter?!" Bruce almost yelled. Should that really be a surprise? Tony was a major playboy back then.

"Hi." I croaked.

"Why is that such a surprise?" Dad asked him.

"I honestly don't know." There we go.

"Yeah, yeah, will you get on with it?" Tony said impatiently.

Bruce examined my biggest wounds first. The ones I got when Damien threw me onto the jagged rock in my cell. He lightly brushed his finger against the large gash on my stomach.

"You've lost a lot of blood, you're lucky you're even alive." he said. "Let's get these cleaned and stitched, shall we?"

* * *

After three hours lying still on my bed, Bruce managed to clean and stitch all of my wounds and to test my blood for any poisoning.

It was painful to have all this done while conscious. I'm surprised I didn't nod off in the middle of it but now I could barely keep my eyes open. Isn't it great how things work out that way?

"I'm probably not going to get used to you having a daughter," Bruce told my dad as he packed up his supplies.

"Nobody knows, by the way. You can't tell anyone," Tony said.

"Yeah, sure. How did she get such bad injuries in the first place?"

"She was kidnapped. Do you want a scotch?" Tony asked, changing the subject. I guess it's as uncomfortable a subject for him as it is for me

"No. You should inform SHIELD. They can help protect her." And this coming from the guy who _didn't_ want to get involved with the government.

"No. I don't want SHIELD messing up her life."

"You're right. It is quite a freak show, isn't it?"

"You should know." Tony stated.

Bruce chuckled. "Yeah."

"Hey, can you stay here for the next week or so until she's stable?" Tony asked.

"Sure."

* * *

Third Person's P.O.V

Tony shook Charlotte softly. She screamed again. Tony shook her more violently in a desperate attempt to wake her.

Charlotte's eyes shot open. Another scream escaped her throat. She was in tears.

She was lying in her bed, tangled in the covers.

Tony wrapped her in a tight hug. "Hey, hey, it's okay, I'm here."

Right then, the door swung open and slammed into the wall. Bruce ran into the room.

"Hey, I heard screaming. Is everything okay?"

"We're good here, buddy. Go do yoga or whatever," Tony dismissed his friend rudely. Bruce rolled his eyes before walking out of the room leaving Tony alone with his daughter.

"That was kinda rude," Charlotte said abruptly.

"You can't talk," Tony shot back with a smile. Charlotte shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, do you want some hot chocolate? It used to help me after my nightmares as a kid." Charlotte nodded in response. "I'll be right back."

Tony returned twenty minutes later with two steaming mugs in his hands. He handed one to Charlotte. It had foam floating over the hot beverage and three marshmallows swimming in the drink. Steam poured from the mug and the smell of chocolate wafted up her nose. Charlotte took a small sip, careful not to burn her tongue. Oh how she hated the feeling.

"You like?" Tony asked. His mouth was filled with marshmallows and there was foam stuck in his goatee.

"Mmm, yeah, but it burns on the inside."

"I bet it does."

"Dad?"

"Yeah, honey?"

"Keep me safe."

"I'll protect you with my life," Tony said, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

* * *

**A/N**

**Sorry again, guys. And sorry that I didn't include Pepper in this one. She'll be in the next one. ;)**

**Thanks for the reviews and being patient. I know what it's like reading a story and then the author doesn't update in forever. I'll try not to do that too much.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**

**Well, quick update from me, yay! :D Thanks for all the reviews, I love you guys! Also, thanks to ****_A fixed broker_**** for beta-ing this chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

* * *

Charlotte P.O.V.

_My back ached from leaning on the cold hard concrete. I was back in that cell. Damien towered above me. He wore a dark smile and he held a knife. He crouched until he was at eye-level with me. I looked into his eyes. I saw nothing but pure evil. He let out a menacing cackle before jamming the knife into my chest. My mouth was open, screaming with no sound, I couldn't breathe…_

_"Charlotte, Charlotte, Charlotte," he chanted mockingly._

"Charlotte! Charlotte, wake up honey, come on," someone was shaking me aggressively. I couldn't recognise the voice, I was in such a haze. I let out a piercing scream. And then another one for good measure. I slowly opened my eyes to see dad grasping my shoulders tightly.

I sputtered and gasped for air. I was apparently screaming for a long time. He told me I was thrashing and screaming for the past five minutes.

I sat up in bed once I caught my breath.

"Water," I breathed. He quickly handed me the glass and I gulped it down instantly. "Ugh, my mouth is so dry," I complained.

Tony chuckled. "Well, your mouth was open for a long time, like this." He opened his mouth wide and made a ridiculous face. I slapped his arm and laughed.

"I do not look like that!" I protested.

"Want a bet?"

"If you're going to suggest setting up cameras in my room then no way."

"Party pooper," he muttered.

"Scumbag yourself," I muttered.

"Hey, I heard that!"

"You were meant to." He scowled. "Would you like some ice with the _burn_?" I asked mockingly.

"You can't insult me, I'm your father. I have the power to send you outside for the night."

"You wouldn't."

"Yeah, I love you too much for that," he said, ruffling my hair and wrapping me in a hug. "You think you'll be able to go back to sleep?" he asked me.

"Not in this life."

"Thought so. Let's watch some television, shall we?"

I shuffled to the side of my bed to make room for him. He grabbed the remote and lay down next to me.

"Anything on at two a.m.?" I asked.

"Probably not. But I have a movie library with like, heaps of movies."

"Do you have Due Date?"

"Of course. You know, there's this guy in the movie who looks _disturbingly_ like me."

* * *

Third Person P.O.V

By the time the movie had finished, both Charlotte and Tony had fallen asleep, her head resting on his chest and his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders.

When five a.m. came around, Pepper went into Charlotte's bedroom to check on the girl. She smiled at the image of Tony and Charlotte. A sweet father-daughter moment. Pepper fished out her blackberry from her pocket and snapped a photo. She smiled again before leaving.

Tony sensed movement in the room and immediately awoke. There was no one there but Charlotte and himself but the door was open so he assumed either Pepper or Bruce had been in to check on her. He gently lifted Charlotte's head and rolled out of the bed before softly placing it on the pillow. He kissed her forehead before exiting the room and shutting the door behind him.

Tony walked down the hallway until he reached the living room where Pepper was drinking coffee and working on her laptop.

"Morning Tony," she greeted.

"Morning Pep. What's new?"

She spun her laptop so the screen was facing Tony. It was the photo of him and Charlotte. Tony smiled at the photo and plopped himself on the couch next to her. He snatched Pepper's mug of coffee and took a big sip.

"Hey! You owe me coffee," Pepper said, "Oh, and Jerry called, the mansion is finished. Now they're renovating and were wondering if you wanted an interior designer."

"Hire the best designer in the country," Tony said, "I might fly over and see how things are doing."

"What about Charlie? You're not just going to leave her here, are you? You just got her back," Pepper said.

"Geez, Pepper, I didn't mean now," Tony retorted.

"Do you have any ideas for her bedroom in Malibu?"

"Well, I was going to have Jarvis scan the room so Charlie could design her room here. I'll also have a holographic cable run through the floor."

"Just don't get too carried away, Tony. Now go make my coffee."

"You still have some there," Tony pointed out.

"It's tainted," she said. Tony stared at her. He wasn't sure if she was being serious or not. Pepper's lips twitched up into a smile. "I was kidding," she said, gulping down the remainder of the coffee.

* * *

**A/N**

**How'd you guys like it? Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N**

**Guys, I feel awful for not updating this in... forever. Anyways, this chapter isn't that great, but I had to write SOMETHING to get my creative juices flowing. The next chapter will be more interesting, I hope.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for Charlotte and the plot.**

* * *

Charlotte lay on her bed with a hologram floating in front of her. It was a hologram of her new bedroom in Malibu. She'd already decided on the floor and the walls. She also put together a wish list of posters and decorations she wanted.

The floor was to be a light timber and the walls the regular cream colour, except for one, which was to be baby pink. The posters she had decided on were posters of her favorite singers. Avril Lavigne, Maroon 5, Selena Gomez, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus… the list could go on forever!

Charlotte was now scrolling through several furniture catalogues. But her mind was elsewhere. With everything going on, Charlotte wasn't sure that going to the mansion was the best thing to do, with it being in the same location. The world knew the address and if some reporter just happened to stumble upon her, her cover would be blown. She'd seen what her father has to deal with. She didn't want her life to be like that. As convenient as it may be to have a superhero as a dad, there are many dangers that come along with it. After what she's been through, Charlotte wasn't ready for more drama. Or supervillains.

Charlotte heard a faint knock on her door. Looking up, she saw Pepper standing at the door.

"Hey Pepper," Charlotte greeted groggily.

"Hey, how're you doing?"

"I'm okay," she replied.

"That's good to hear. How's that coming along?"

"Good. So far I have my walls and floor worked out."

"Great. Tony wants us to fly down tonight. You good to fly?"

"Yeah. As long as the flight conditions aren't too bad."

"I'll make sure of it. Don't worry about packing, I'll do that."

"Okay, thanks Pepper."

"No worries. If you need anything, give us a call."

Charlotte smiled. "Okay," she said.

Pepper turned to leave, shutting the door behind her.

Charlotte let out a sigh. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath. She didn't like talking to anyone at the moment, not her dad, not Pepper, not anyone. They were constantly fussing over her but Charlotte didn't want to worry them. She had claimed she was fine over and over again, but in truth, she was in a hell of a lot of pain. Words could not describe the pain she was in. It's been a month since Tony had rescued Charlotte from AIM, and she'd made a lot of progress, but the pain hadn't stopped. Although the mansion had been completed over a month ago, Tony and Pepper didn't want to strain Charlotte. They kept her in the comfort of the tower while Tony flew back and forth and Pepper stayed with the girl.

For the next hour, Charlotte had been designing and redesigning her room several times before finally settling on one. She smiled in satisfaction. The room was beautiful.

Feeling hungry, Charlotte looked around her room for her crutches. Tony had bought a pair of crutches knowing Charlotte wouldn't be able to lie in bed for days on end. She would need to move around. Spotting the crutches leaning against the wall, Charlotte groaned, which conveniently caused a small robot to hand them to her. That was the thing with having Tony Stark as a father. He could provide you with all this handy tech. He thought of everything. Charlotte grabbed the crutches and slowly rolled out of bed, using them to balance herself into a standing position. She smiled inwardly at how much her dad cared for her. Charlotte hobbled to the door slowly, taking steps one at a time. She had been bed ridden for three days straight.

Throwing the door open, Charlotte ran straight into Pepper.

"Charlotte! What are you doing up?"

"I can't stand laying in bed for another second. I need to move around," Charlotte explained.

"Okay," Pepper continued on her way to her bedroom with the massive pile of clothes in her arms. Charlotte hobbled down the hall and to the elevator. Charlotte wandered down to some of the restricted levels of the tower. She hadn't had the chance to before her kidnapping and was too weak to walk around afterwards.

The elevator opened to reveal complete darkness. Charlotte blindly searched for the light switch by sliding her hand across the wall. The room suddenly lit up before Charlie had the chance to find the switch.

"Thanks J," she mumbled. Using her crutches, Charlotte slowly moved down the hall, passing several doors. It wasn't like most of the floors in the tower. There was one door that especially intrigued her. It was at the end of the hallway and had a big yellow and black with the words 'RESTRICTED ACCESS' written across it. Balancing herself with one crutch and her one good leg, Charlotte lifted the free crutch and aimed at the door. Just as she swung the crutch;

"Charlotte, what are you doing?!" A voice rang out through the room. It was Pepper.

"Uh, I got the wrong floor. I meant to go to the kitchen," Charlotte said, spinning around to see the enraged woman. Well, that's an extreme overstatement. Pepper was quite calm, actually.

"Mmhmm. Do you want me to fix something for lunch?"

"Yes, I'm starved," Charlotte replied, casually swinging her crutch by her side.

"Come on, then."

Charlotte followed Pepper back to the elevator.

* * *

"Ah, so hot!" Charlotte whined. Because of her injuries, she can't eat big pieces of food. The most comfortable for her to consume liquids, like soup.

"Charlie, it's straight out of the pot! Of course it's going to be hot!" Pepper said.

"Yeah, yeah. What time are we leaving tonight?"

"Seven. I've packed some of your things. We'll fly the rest over on Saturday."

"Coolios," Charlotte replied.

"Charlotte, what were you doing on level 34?" Pepper asked suddenly.

"I told you, I got the wrong floor. I was heading to the living floor."

"You hacked in, Charlotte. No one but your father and I can access it. And you said you were heading to the kitchen."

"Yeah, I was heading to the living floor and then I was gonna go to the kitchen. And I guess dad programed Jarvis to allow me access to all floors."

"Okay," Pepper said, still no trusting the girl.

* * *

"Tony, she broke into level 34," Pepper said, pressing the phone against her ear.

"Did she get through?" Tony asked, alarmed.

"No. I caught her in time."

"You can't let her out of your sight. We can't risk her getting in there."

Pepper glanced over at Charlotte who seemed to be busying herself with some holograms.

"Yes."

"I need to go. Bye, Pep. Love you."

"I love you too."

Pepper hung up before placing the phone on the table. She walked over to the couch where Charlotte was sitting.

What the hell is on that level?! Charlotte thought, secretly eavesdropping on Pepper and Tony's telephone conversation.

* * *

**A/N**

**Guys, I can't read minds, so leave your thoughts on this chapter in a review.**

**Also, check out stories 'Fearless' and 'Eyes Open' by Cookiesaurus Rex. I helped write them :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N**

**Hey guys! So i'm proud that I actually finished this chapter quickly compared to earlier. But I still don't feel that it's my best piece of work. But I'll let you get on with reading it now.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Iron Man.**

* * *

"Pepper, I'm actually not feeling good enough to fly."

"Charlie, if this is about the level I found you sneaking around on, then-"

"It's not! I just don't think I can fly today."

Pepper still wasn't convinced. "Trust me, you'll feel much better on the plane."

"But-"

"No buts. We're already here, and everything has been arranged."

The two were standing at the Stark Industries airport with their baggage sitting next to them.

"Come on, Pepper!"

"Fine, if you can't fly, then I guess I better start planning our road trip…"

"What?! I suddenly feel so much better. It's a miracle!"

"That's what I thought."

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Charlotte asked for the thousandth time.

"It's the same answer as I gave you the last thousand times you asked. No!"

Charlotte grunted in annoyance. They'd been in this plane for an hour and she was ready to strangle someone. But she did quite enjoy irritating Pepper. It was probably the most fun she'd had since she returned from the kidnapping. A flash of red and gold caught her eye. Charlotte turned her head to the window, where she saw Iron Man flying beside the plane. He waved to her, provoking a smile from Charlotte. She waved at him before he nodded and flew past the plane.

"What are you doing? Is Tony out there?" Pepper asked, staring at the girl.

"He was. You just missed him. Which brings me to my next question. Are we there yet?"

This was getting on Pepper's nerves. "No," she said, surprisingly calm. It truly was phenomenal that Pepper could remain calm and collected through Tony's and now Charlotte's shenanigans.

Charlotte sighed. She turned her head back toward the window, staring down at the blurred city as they passed over it. She felt exhausted. Charlotte's eyelids felt heavy and soon she was snoring away as the plane began its descent.

* * *

"Welcome back, Miss Potts. Welcome, Miss Stark." The doors opened up to reveal the magnificent mansion known as Stark Manor. Charlotte was half-asleep and too tired to notice. She just dropped her suitcase and headed to her bedroom, as if she knew the way. That was partly true. She had gone through so many holographic versions of the place she knew it like the back of her hand.

"Where's Tony?" Pepper asked the artificial intelligence.

"Mr Stark is currently in the workshop. I highly recommend you do not disturb him."

Pepper, ignoring what Jarvis had said, pranced down the stairs to the workshop. She tapped in the password, the glass door unlocking. She pushed through and found Tony hunched over a table.

"Hey Tony," she greeted. Tony jumped, startled. He quickly scrambled to cover up what he was working on.

"Uh, hi honey! How's life?" he asked, sloppily kissing her cheek.

"Good. What are you hiding?" she asked, jumping straight to the question.

"Nothing. How is she?"

"Sleepy. Why do I get the feeling that this is more than just nothing?" she said with a smile, putting her arms around Tony's neck.

"It's just an improvement to my suit."

"Tony, I'm worried about you. You're becoming too obsessed with this! Last time-"

"Last time was different. I'm just preparing for the worst."

"The worst has already happened. Your daughter was at the brink of death! If you just hung up the suit, you would eliminate all these threats."

"Pepper, this family needs all the protection it can get. I can't let my guard down! The evil will keep coming. Once Iron Man, always Iron Man."

"I can't believe this. I'm going to bed," Pepper said, pulling her hands away from Tony. She turned her heels and stalked out of the room with poise.

* * *

Charlotte threw open her bedroom door. Her eyes widened in surprise. The room looked exactly like the hologram. But Charlotte was too tired to marvel at it. She approached her bed, jumped onto it like a crazy person before curling up under the covers.

Charlotte awoke, startled. The creaking of the floorboards was growing louder and louder. She pulled up the covers and peered out. There stood a large shadow. The figure approached, step by step. Charlotte let out a blood curdling scream, instantly taking off toward the person. She shoved them away and attempted to keep running but the person grabbed her arm, their fingernails digging deep into her flesh. Blood rose to the surface. Tears streamed down her face as she kicked and struggled under the person's grip.

"Charlotte!" Pepper placed her hands on her shoulders, shaking her. Charlotte awoke, screaming much louder before realising that she was okay.

"Hey, you okay honey?" Pepper asked.

"Sorry," Charlotte said groggily.

"Don't be. These things happen."

Charlotte took a glass of water from her bedside table and gulped the whole contents down at once. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Four."

"Where's dad? Did I wake him up too?"

"I don't know. He wasn't in bed when I woke up."

"Well, I'm tired. I'll try to get some more sleep in."

"Okay. Well, good night."

"Night."

Charlotte watched Pepper walk out of the room before rolling out of bed. She slowly tip-toed to the door and watched as Pepper turned into another room. Charlotte grabbed her crutch from the side of her bed before slowly making her way down the hall as silently as possible.

Mind you, it's quite difficult, trying to make next to no noise while using a crutch, but it's possible. Charlotte reached the stairs which led down to the workshop. A challenge, yes, but Charlotte likes a good challenge. Well, maybe not when she's meant to be quiet. She lifted the crutch from the ground and fitted it under her arm pit. She grasped the railing on the stairs and started to slowly walk down the stairs.

Once she reached the bottom, Charlotte balance herself once again with the crutch and walked to the glass door. She could walk just fine, but she used the crutch as support since she sometimes spontaneously lost balance.

Charlotte tapped the code in, assuming it was the same as in the tower. The holographic key pad flashed red and read 'ACCESS DENIED'. Charlotte tried other passcodes like Tony's birthday, Pepper's birthday and t her birthday. She groaned when the keypad flashed red again. Another code came to mind. She tried the date that Tony found her. The keypad flashed green and read 'ACCESS GRANTED'.

"Bingo!" Charlotte whispered. She pushed the door open and walked in to see Tony video chatting with that pirate from SHIELD.

"Hey Patches," she greeted, walking up to Tony. The man on video grumbled. "Stark, what is she doing here?"

"Give me a sec, Fury," he said. "Charlie, you need to go back to bed."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"What's going on?" Charlotte asked cautiously.

"Nothing. Just business."

"Miss Stark, you need to leave," Fury said.

"Aye aye, captain ," she said unenthusiastically before turning and leaving.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N**

**Hey guys! :)**

**Guess what! I had my first pop tart last week! :D I didn't know they had them in Australia, but they do. So yummy, I can now see why Thor loves them enough to eat an entire box ;)**

**Anyways, I'll let you read now.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Iron Man.**

* * *

**Charlotte P.O.V.**

Something really weird is going on. First that restricted level that my dad and Pepper were freaking out over, and now this top-secret meeting with SHIELD at four in the morning. There must be some connection between that level and whatever my dad is working on at the moment. But I don't think Pepper knows what he's doing. She sounded almost mad when I talked to her this morning.

I want to know so bad! What he is hiding and why. I think I deserve to know. I've already considered asking them about it, but that's a big fat no. If I bring it up again, they'll know I'm up to something. The best thing to do is wait for my body to recover and then investigate further. Dr Banner said it'd be another month until I'm fully healed. I can't wait that long!

I have this massive dilemma and now I smell burning toast. They say that you're about to have a stroke if you smell burning toast. My eye catches the toaster which is now burning, literally.

"Shit, shit, shit," I hissed. I grabbed a jug of water and poured it over the toaster.

The flame was out instantly. I lifted the now dripping, soggy piece of bread out of the toaster. Just my luck. I sighed. I can't do anything right. I almost burnt down the house that was just rebuilt. I suck as a daughter.

I stare out at the ocean. The sun was now rising. It was magnificent, the sun rising and the light reflecting on the water. Just beautiful.

I've decided that today is the day for snooping. I'll just go through the workshop and dad's files. He's too absorbed by his work to notice me, anyway.

I stare out at the sunrise a moment longer before wiping my hands on a tea towel. I binned what used to toast and decided to head to my room to plan my 'mission'.

After about five minutes my brain felt as limp as my toast. I realized what I was doing wrong - whenever I had came up with an idea before, I hadn't thought about it, it just came to me. So I trooped downstairs and asked Jarvis to set the toaster for me. In the meantime, I hunted for butter and toppings, my progress hindered by my crutch. I felt compelled to throw the bloody thing out of the window.

"Jarvis, what is this?" I asked, holding up a jar, its contents a hideous brown colour

"That is apricot jam, ma'am," he said in his politely synthesized voice.

I screwed off the lid and my senses were immediately overwhelmed by the smell.

"Ugh, how long has this been in here?" I asked, tossing the jar in the bin.

"363 days, ma'am."

"Ew." I pulled out an edible jar of jam from the fridge. I limped over to the toaster and buttered my bread, before spreading a copious amount of the jam on it. I closed my eyes and bit in- it was heavenly. Warm and sweet. Oh, and wouldn't it be a really great idea to trick Jarvis into recording my dad?

"I'm a genius," I muttered to myself. "Jar-fish? I have a little job for you."

I lay on my bed, flat on my stomach, with my laptop sitting in front of me. I tapped away furiously as I reprogrammed Jarvis. He was bound to let my dad onto what he was doing for me, but this way, his artificial lips will be sealed. I'm not making any major changes so my dad doesn't notice, I'm just programming him to follow my orders above my dad's. Simple enough. I then connected my laptop to the camera feed, and voila, I now had access to every camera in the house.

"Jarvis, all you need to do is shut up about this, can you do that?"

"For you, ma'am, always," he replied. He actually sounded kind of happy.

I selected the feed from the workshop. I stared intently at the screen, closely observing my dad's every move. He was just adding something to the Iron Man suit. Nothing major. I watched for another ten minutes and still nothing exciting had happened. This was going to be a long, boring day.

I took out a skateboarding magazine from under my pillow. Pepper had bought some for me when I was in recovery and I still haven't gone through them all. She also got me some music ones but I've gone over each one at least twice. I flipped through the pages effortlessly when something on the computer screen caught my eye. Dad was talking with that SHIELD pirate again. But I couldn't hear a damn thing they were saying to each other. Stupid microphone-less cameras!

"Jarvis, turn the microphones on," I demanded.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, monotone as always.

"Stark, I'm serious. You need to be ready by then or this whole strategy will collapse and it'll be my ass," Fury said.

"It's not that simple. I have a daughter now, a family. I can't ditch them like that," Tony replied.

"We can't let the enemy get as close as Loki did."

"Fine," Tony replied sharply, hanging up the line. Charlotte could hear him sigh in frustration. He slapped the iron arm off the table, it smashing into multiple pieces on the floor. Charlotte groaned. He destroyed the arm of the suit! That would be a step back considering that Fury wanted him to be ready. He's made three suits that she knew of since he blew them all up, but she could see at least six in the camera footage. He sure has been busy. But what the hell is going on? The world is at risk? I haven't heard anything and I highly doubt that my dad would keep something like that from us. There is something bigger going on. Maybe they're just preparing, should there be an attack. But why the urgency? This is sooo confusing.

Dad is clearly stressed. And I will stop at nothing to find out what the hell is going on.

After several hours of staring at my computer screen and trying to figure out what Fury meant, to say I was frustrated would be a massive understatement. For one thing, I was very sleep deprived. Plus, I had gotten no where, still at square one. I was constantly switching video feeds to different parts of the workshop. It was just pure luck that dad had every inch of his workshop covered. Although I watched every feed a hundred times over, on thing in the view of his work desk caught my attention.

It was a blueprint. Not just any blueprint, but a blueprint of a weapon. I know from all my work with AIM that Stark Industries made the most lethal of weapons, but I also know that my father had stopped working in the weapons business years ago. To me, this whole jumble of information made no sense at all.

The question is, why? Why would Tony Stark go against what he believes in? Why would Tony Stark follow orders from someone else? Why would Tony Stark build weapons?

There is something BIG behind this all.

I zoomed in on the blueprint of the weapon. It looked like a cross between a shot gun and Stark Industry's Jericho missile. Like a missile that you could carry and was a convenient size, ideal for attacks from armies.

On the corner of the sheet, the words 'PHASE 2' were written. What the hell is Phase 2?

I could see there were more sheets underneath it. One could possibly reveal the reason behind this secrecy. If only I could find a way into the damn workshop without dad noticing. He was in there constantly. If I could get him out of there for at least and hour, that would give me enough time to snoop.

"Jarvis, what is dad doing right this second?" I asked.

"Mr Stark is currently building a weapon for SHIELD's Phase 2," came the reply.

Hmm, so SHIELD is behind this all and my dad is just a minion? I find that very hard to believe.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own Iron Man**

* * *

Charlotte thought up about three different plans to get her dad out of the house. Pepper wasn't home, which was a good thing. The first plan was to hide her painkillers and send him out to buy more. The second was to bin all the food they had and send Tony out shopping. The final plan was to set up a distraction, like an event where Iron Man needs to save the day. To Charlotte, the second plan was most flawed since Tony would most likely order in food, not actually go out to buy it.

The third one was to much work, especially for Charlotte's current state. She decided she would only resort to that one if the first one didn't work.

Charlotte walked down to the kitchen, limping the whole way. She threw open the cabinet where all the medicine was kept. She pulled out the box she was looking for and shut the cabinet. Charlotte put the box in the first place she could think of: in the couch. She smiled in satisfaction at her hiding place. She knew that it was a pretty lousy hiding place, but it was good enough for the time being. Charlotte began toward the workshop, going a mile an hour. She couldn't walk too quickly in her state. On her journey down the stairs, Charlotte almost tripped a total of six times. She finally reached the base of the stair case and just stood there and stared through the glass door at the distorted image of her father working. She sighed. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but it had to be done. It's not like she ever had a problem with this kind of thing before. Lying was like a second nature to her. She did it constantly, and she was good at it too. Not even the best could tell when she was lying or telling the truth. Charlotte inhaled deeply before tapping in the code to the workshop.

ACCESS DENIED

"What the heck?" Charlotte muttered. She tried the same code again and was met with the same dreaded words. She typed in numerous different codes but none were successful.

"Jarvis, let me in," Charlotte said after the seventh attempt to enter the workshop.

"My apologies ma'am, but Mr Stark has disabled all access to the workshop," Jarvis responded.

"What?! But I reprogrammed you to do what I say," Charlotte argued.

The door to the lab suddenly opened and Tony stepped out.

"What's going on here? Charlotte?" he demanded.

"I just wanted to ask you to buy me some more pain killers. I'm all out and the pain is literally killing me."

"Can't Pepper pick some up on her way home?"

"I need them now! I can't stand the pain much longer!" Charlotte dropped to the ground, pretending to be in pain. She curled up in a fetal position.

"Oh my god, Charlotte!" Tony yelled, crouching down next to her.

"Hurry, please," she whispered with her last ounce of 'energy'.

Tony kissed her forehead before practically sprinting back into the lab and jumping into the fastest car he owns. Charlotte smiled as she saw him speed out of the house. He left the door open. She immediately stood and walked into the lab. She headed straight for the table with the paperwork and immediately started going through the SHIELD files and blueprints. She skimmed through several files, such as the tesseract, but stopped at one labelled 'CONFIDENTIAL'. She opened it and saw an image of a robotic looking being. The file stated that his name was Ultron. Charlotte raised an eyebrow at this. She read that he was created by an ally of SHIELD, Hank Pym, otherwise known as Ant Man.

But why would an ally of SHIELD create an enemy? This thought buzzed through her head as she read on. Ultron was created for good, but he turned evil. He is indestructible which makes him almost impossible to defeat.

Charlotte took her phone out and snapped a photo of each page in the file before moving onto the blueprints. She took a photo of each before studying the first one, the missile-like gun. Charlotte suddenly heard the screeching of tyres. Her dad was home, and she needed to hide before he drove down into the lab.

"Shit," Charlotte muttered before ducking underneath the desk. From there she crawled to a corner of the lab, hiding behind one of the cabinets which held one of Tony's Iron Man suits. She was in the perfect position. She could see most of the lab and she was pretty much hidden completely.

Charlotte watched as Tony practically sprinted out of the car and to where Charlotte was originally.

"Charlotte!" he shouted, "Charlotte! Jarvis, where's Charlie?"

"Jarvis, tell him I'm in the bathroom… showering," Charlotte commanded in a whisper.

"Miss Stark is currently in the bathroom taking a shower. I advise that you wait for her to finish," Jarvis said. A sudden sound of running water was heard. Jarvis had turned on the shower!

This should buy me some time, Charlotte thought to herself.

Tony, being the busy man he is, walked to his desk and placed down the box of pain killers. He immediately noticed something wasn't right. There was a massive mess on his table.

''Jarvis, was Charlotte down here? Did she go through my stuff?" he asked, alarmed.

"Sir, Miss Stark was never in the workshop. She has been on the living floor during your entire absence."

"Was there anybody else down here?"

"I'm afraid not, sir."

"Someone was down here. I know it. Jarvis, show me all the security footage for the last half hour."

Camera footage appeared on several of Tony's screens. Charlotte gasped a little to loudly when she saw the footage of her going through the files and taking photos of each page. Tony instantly looked over in her direction and saw a flash of brown hair. He stalked over in that direction he stopped right next to the hiding girl. Charlotte looked up at her father who towered over her. He pulled her up by her arm into a standing position.

"Charlotte, would you like to tell me why you were going through my stuff?!" he asked, his voice growing as the sentence progressed.

"Not really," Charlotte replied coolly.

"Then tell me why my own A.I. lied for you?"

"I reprogrammed him. Duh," Charlotte replied, still casual.

"That's it. As soon as you recover, you're going to boarding school."

"WHAT?!" Charlotte screamed.

* * *

**A/N**

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I actually had this done since I poster the last chapter but I forgot about posting it XD.**

**Sozzles!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own Iron Man**

* * *

The day Charlotte had been dreading for the past month has finally arrived. Charlotte stood next to Pepper at the airport with all her bags sitting beside her.

"Pepper, please don't make me leave," Charlotte whined, hoping to get out of this in the last minute.

"Sorry honey, no can do. What you did was wrong. You can't go through confidential government files and expect no consequences," Pepper replied.

"It was a teeny tiny mistake! It could happen to anybody!"

"Mmhmm. Look, if it were up to me, I wouldn't send you away. But it's not. Look, I've taken out a day from work so I can fly there with you, but everything is already been arranged," Pepper replied, her eyes full of sympathy.

"Please Pepper! I don't want to go to boarding school! I'm already smart enough to graduate at a university level, I don't need this."

"Come on, they're boarding our flight now," Pepper said, pulling one of the suitcases and using her free hand to tug Charlotte along.

"But did you have to pick England? I mean, there are plenty of boarding schools in the country. Why ship me off to Europe?"

"Your father thinks that you'd easily find a way back if you stayed close. This way, you'll stay out of trouble."

"I'd stay out of trouble anyway! I was just curious!"

"They say curiosity killed the cat," Pepper said.

Charlotte grunted in annoyance. This was useless. Pepper should take up professional debating, if that even exists, Charlotte thought.

"Please Pepper! Just rent an apartment near the mansion and dad will never know! Don't send me away," Charlotte said, a tear rolling down her cheek. Pepper couldn't watch the girl in tears, but it had to be done. She couldn't lie to Tony.

"Sweetie, I'm sorry, but you'll have to go to that school until everything blows over. Your father is just stressed and he can't handle you going through his work. It's nothing personal," Pepper said reassuringly, placing a warm hand on the distressed girl's shoulder. "Now come on, we need to go or we'll miss the flight."

"Wait! I need to go to the bathroom," Charlotte said as a final attempt.

"Nice try. Come on."

Pepper escorted Charlotte to the boarding gates. They handed their passports and boarding passes to the flight attendant at the entrance. The woman scanned the boarding pass and checked the passport before handing back the documents. Charlotte and Pepper walked down the hall toward the plane, Charlotte regretting that she ever even considered going through all of Tony's things and expecting that she won't get caught. But that was in the past, and she needed to focus all her energy on getting expelled from school and being sent back to America.

Charlotte stared at the old brick building known as her new school. Pepper stood next to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"You know, I bet it's a lot better than it looks," Pepper said, trying to lift the girl's hopes.

"Oh I hope so," Charlotte replied.

"Let's go register," Pepper said.

They walked into the brick building, Pepper leading the way, toward the head office.

"Oh my god, Pepper, I forgot to pack my toothbrush! We have to go back home! And I also forgot all my… underwear!" Charlotte suddenly said.

"I'm sure that someone can lend you their underwear and toothbrush," Pepper countered.

"Eww, Pepper!"

They reached large wooden doors with the words 'head office' engraved on it. Pepper knocked politely before opening the door just a smidge.

"Ah, you must be Charlotte," a woman said, approaching them and offering Charlotte a handshake. Charlotte sloppily shook it. "I'm Mrs Gilmore… Oh my, you're Pepper Potts, aren't you?" The woman asked, realisation hitting her.

"Indeed I am. Charlotte is my niece. Her mother had asked me to escort her to this school," Pepper replied politely.

"Well, everything is sorted. We have assigned Charlotte a dormitory and a class timetable. If you would like a tour now…"

"Oh, no, I have a flight to catch back to Los Angeles in an hour, but I'm sure Charlotte would appreciate one," Pepper said.

"Well then, it was a pleasure meeting you Miss Potts," the Mrs Gilmore said.

"The pleasure is all mine," Pepper said. She kissed Charlotte's cheek before turning to leave. "Bye honey," she called.

"Bye Aunty Pepper," Charlotte said monotonously.

Pepper smiled before shutting the door behind her.

"Well, Charlotte, if you'll follow me, I'll show you to your dormitory."

Charlotte nodded and followed the woman out into the hallway. They walked down a few different hallways, and up a few staircases before finally reaching the dorm. Mrs Gilmore knocked on the door before opening it. She walked inside Charlotte right behind.

"Girls, this is Charlotte," Mrs Gilmore said, "She will be starting this year in grade eleven. I want you all to make her feel welcome."

"Yes Mrs Gilmore," the girls said in sync. God, they're such goody-goodies, Charlotte thought disgustedly.

"Thank you girls," the head master said before leaving.

"Where am I gonna crash?" Charlotte asked rather rudely.

"Crash?" One of the girls asked.

"Where's my bed?" Charlie rephrased.

"Over there," another girl pointed.

Charlotte walked over to the bed and plonked her suitcase on top of it. She took out her cell phone and began to write a very angry text to Pepper.

"Mobile phones aren't allowed," a girl said.

"Do I look like I give a damn?" Charlotte asked.

The girl quietened down. "Well, I'm Amber, and this is Josie, Spencer, and Summer," a blonde girl said confidently. "We're all in grade eleven too," Summer added with a smile.

"Wonderful," Charlotte said, flashing an obviously fake smile before returning to her grim expression. The girls glanced at each other worriedly. They definitely didn't like their first impression of the new girl.

"What's this ugly thing?" Charlotte asked, pulling out a navy blue knee length skirt, a white blouse and a navy blue and maroon tie.

"That is the school uniform. You're required to wear it during school hours but you don't have to afterwards."

"Looks like something threw up on it," Charlotte muttered. She tossed it away carelessly.

"What a bitch," one of the girls muttered. The others mumbled in agreement. Charlotte felt a pang in her heart. She wanted to keep up with this new attitude, but the thing is, she couldn't. She maybe very good at lying and being sneaky, but she definitely wasn't mean without a reason. But she knew that she had to continue her bitch act to have any chance at being expelled.

Charlotte will do whatever it takes to get herself expelled. She wanted her daddy back.

* * *

**A/N**

**Hey guys, thanks for all the support with this story and hopefully another chapter will be up very soon! If you haven't already, please check out my newest Avengers Fic 'Reckless'.**

**Summary: Hey, my name's Scarlett. People usually call me Scar. You should probably know that I'm in a shit-load of trouble. Yay for me. Okay, so maybe stealing a huge hammer (which no one besides Thor, the god of thunder, should be able to lift) wasn't the smartest thing to do on my part, but hey, you only live once, right?**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own Iron Man**

* * *

"Miss Matthews." Someone nudged Charlotte. "Miss Matthews!" They shook her a little harder. "MISS MATTHEWS!" Charlotte jolted upright, awaking from her nap.

"Yes?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Would you kindly tell me why you FELL ASLEEP IN MY CLASS?!" The teacher yelled.

"Well you see, this class is incredibly boring," Charlotte answered coolly.

"Well, maybe you could explain that to the Head Mistress."

"Oh yes! Anything to get out of this boredom you call 'class'." Charlotte stood abruptly, her chair making a loud screeching sound as it glided back across the floor. She flicked her hair back, making sure it struck the teacher's face.

"Oops," Charlotte said, insincerely. She strode out of the classroom, the teacher glaring daggers at her back. Charlotte made sure that when the door closed, the loudest slam would echo through the entire building. Charlotte grinned devilishly before prancing down the hall to the Head Mistress's office. She was rather pleased, copping a rather loud scolding from the teacher in her very first class at the school.

Once Charlotte found the door, she threw it open without thinking twice.

"May I ask what you are doing?" the Mistress inquired.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm entering your office," Charlotte stated in a bitchy manner.

"Why aren't you in class, Miss Matthews?"

"Mrs Shit-face sent me here," Charlotte said very matter-of-factly.

"I believe you are referring to Mrs Sharoll." Miss Gilmore, the Head Mistress, was clearly beginning to lose her patience after only exchanging a few words with Charlotte.

"Yeah, her."

"Sit down, Miss Matthews." Charlotte reluctantly obeyed. "Do you think this is a joke, Miss Matthews?"

"A joke? Me? Never," Charlotte said, making it seem like she had no idea what the Head Mistress was going on about.

"Be serious, for once in your life, girl," Miss Gilmore said.

"Expel me," Charlotte said, her words dripping with seriousness.

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused," Charlotte retorted. She stood up, turned and began to walk out of the office very quickly. She pushed open the door and began to walk down the corridor toward the dormitories. Miss Gilmore followed and stopped at the entrance to her own office.

"Miss Matthews, come back here!" she yelled, but Charlotte kept walking, the gears in her mind beginning to move. Charlotte needed to get expelled, and it was going to take a lot more than sleeping in class to do it.

* * *

Charlotte lay on her bed with her laptop sitting in front of her. She was typing furiously, trying to bypass the school's firewall before they could notice. She was going to hack into their system and mess with their programs. She also had plenty of time since everybody else was in class. The Head Mistress deemed it useless to try to bother Charlotte today, and Charlotte knew she was in for a shit load of detentions.

Charlotte was met with the same red flashing words, 'SECURITY BREACH', for a few seconds, until she managed to bypass the firewall.

Piece of cake, Charlotte thought. She checked the time on her laptop. The bell was to ring in two minutes, just enough time for Charlotte to tamper with it. She searched the system until she found the option to change the bell tone. She then found the file in her laptop she was looking for, 'Shoot to Thrill' by AC/DC, a song she knew that none of the girls in the school would appreciate. At all.

Charlotte double clicked on the file. A loading bar appeared on the screen, signalling that the transfer of the file to the bell was beginning. Charlotte looked at the time again. One minute to go, and it was loading very slowly. When the clock hit ten, the school's bell began to play. The boring one that Charlotte despised so much. She cursed the rudest word she knew, when the bell suddenly stopped, and Charlotte's favourite song began to play. Shoot to Thrill.

The song blasted through every speaker in the entire school, and yet over the loud volume, Charlotte could hear the frantic shrieks of the girls. Charlotte smiled devilishly. This was going swimmingly well, and it was only just beginning.

* * *

It was an hour before dinner that same day, and Charlotte was down in the dining hall, working on her second evil act of the day. The other girls and teachers were all in the assembly hall, but Charlotte had ditched.

And luckily for her, the dining hall was deserted. What was she doing down there? She was loosening all the screws in each and every table and chair in the room. She had stolen some of her father's tools to get back at him for sending her to the female equivalent of military camp. Okay, so maybe she was exaggerating a little bit, but her father had no right to send her here! Well, he did, since he's her legal guardian, but you know what I mean!

Charlotte had gone through the first two rows, and had adjusted each screw so that when a certain amount of weight was put on it, the entire structure would collapse. She was lenient with the tables so that they would only collapse once all the food was on there.

When she finished, Charlotte snuck out of the dining room and back to her dorm to hide the screw driver. She did so just in time because it was then that the other girls were returning to dormitories to get ready for dinner. Charlotte lay on her bed, fiddling with her laptop nonchalantly as the other girls filed in.

"Where were you?" Josie asked her.

"Here," Charlotte replied, giving Josie an are-you-seriously-this-stupid look.

"You were me-"

"I ditched," Charlotte cut her off. She couldn't get over the fact that everyone in this school was so unbelievable stupid.

"Well, it's dinner time, so…" Summer started as the other girls began toward the door.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

Charlotte stowed her laptop away underneath her mattress, hiding it should any nosy teacher attempt to confiscate it.

She followed several metres behind the girls, fiddling with her skirt as she walked. The uniform was unbelievably ugly, and Charlotte hated looking like something threw up on her clothes. She made a mental note to re-design her uniform.

When she entered the dining hall, she noticed that she and her dorm mates were one of the first ones here. She noticed that the others that were in the room were all standing behind their chairs, supposedly waiting for the Head Mistress to grant them permission to sit down. Charlotte followed suit, choosing to sit closest to the exit, should she need a quick and easy escape route.

Once the dining hall was full, the Head Mistress told everyone they could sit down. Charlotte delayed her sitting down a little, waiting for the spectacle of everyone's chairs smashing to pieces. As the girls began to sit, the maids were placing the last of the plates on the tables. Suddenly the sounds of crashing and wood snapping filled the room. Charlotte grinned as food flew up into the air and bits and pieces of wood shot through the wood. She quickly made her escape while everyone was distracted, grabbing a bread roll on the way and then bolted up to the dorms.

* * *

**A/N**

**Hey guys. Thanks for all the support in this fic and I'm really happy that my updating is becoming consistent again :)**

**Please check out my new Avengers fic 'Reckless'**

**Summary: Hey, my name's Scarlett. People usually call me Scar. You should probably know that I'm in a shit-load of trouble. Yay for me. Okay, so maybe stealing a huge hammer (which no one besides Thor, the god of thunder, should be able to lift) wasn't the smartest thing to do on my part, but hey, you only live once, right?**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own Iron Man**

* * *

It was her third week at boarding school, and Charlotte had already spent many boring hours in the Head Mistress's boring office, watching her do her boring work. God, Charlotte had never been this bored in her life, and now it had become a part of her daily life.

"You're dismissed," Mrs Gilmore said, not looking up once from her work. Charlotte had finally finished the last hour of detention, and she was delighted that she could get back to her mischievous ways. She bolted out of the room, not acknowledging the woman. She ran straight to her dormitory where the other girls were spending their free afternoon reading, writing to their families or playing board games. Charlotte went straight to her bed and pulled her laptop out from under her mattress. She was going to write yet another angry email to her father. She had hacked the school's system so that she could use their internet, but had changed the setting so that her laptop was completely hidden.

After finishing her email that included several curse words, Charlotte did meaningless things on the internet. She mainly looked at images of her dad and Pepper. She dearly missed them.

All you women who want a man of the street

Don't know which way you wanna turn

Just keep coming

And put your hand out to me

Cause I'm the one who's gonna make you burn

I'm gonna take you down

Down down down

So don't you fool around

The bell signalling dinner had echoed throughout the entire school. The school had done their best to change the bell back to its original, but Charlotte had expertly locked the setting, so the school was stuck with the glorious sound of AC/DC.

* * *

_At Stark Mansion the very next day…_

"Sir, you have five unread emails from Miss Stark," Jarvis told Tony.

"Anything actually important?" Tony asked. He was getting tired of receiving the same emails from his daughter over and over again, and the stress of Thanos's attack upon the earth was really getting very frustrating for him. And this wasn't a task set for the Avengers, but Tony alone. That fact annoyed him greatly. Apparently, SHIELD had the other Avengers working other missions.

Suddenly a message popped up on Tony's main work screen.

Tony Stark, the time has come. The world is mine to dominate.

I must say that it was a rather intelligent move, sending your daughter away from safety at a time like this. If you wish to save her, you must stop working to defeat me straight away. Today at noon, your lovely daughter's school will detonate. You have five hours.

Tony watched as the timer began to count down. He had twelve hours to figure out how to save his daughter and the earth at the same time. He knew that Thanos was definitely making his attack on earth, right now.

His screen flashed and the news turned on.

"Thanks Jarv," Tony muttered.

On the screen was live footage of the mad titan wreaking havoc on Los Angeles. The reporter on screen was speaking quickly while frantically dodging one of the several attacks made. The camera moved up to capture Thanos.

"Shit," Tony muttered. On Thanos's hand, was the Infinity Gauntlet, with each infinity gem placed in their designated spots. Thanos had ultimate power that made him unbeatable.

Without thinking twice, Tony had assembled his suit and was out of the mansion and heading toward L.A. Going at an incredible speed, he reached the city in no time. He flew in behind Thanos, thankful that the titan didn't notice. Tony shot several smaller repulsor rays at the gems in the Infinity Gauntlet. The gems shot out of their spots on the gauntlet and began to fall to the ground. Tony shot down to retrieve the infinity gems, the green and red gems, stashing them in a small compartment in his suit. He would go for the remaining gems, but Thanos was fully focussed on Tony. He made several attacks using the blue gem which granted him power over Tony's mind. Thanos couldn't completely control Tony's mind, as the suit was built as a barrier of mind control, but the gauntlet allowed the titan to have some control. Tony fought hard to keep his own thoughts, which took a lot of his concentration off of Thanos. Tony shot around in the air, not being able to control the suit while fighting for his mind. But then Tony felt at ease as the control lifted. He looked up to see that his old pal Rhodey had captured the blue gem.

The battle continued once Thanos released his hold on Tony's mind.

"Sir, you have one hour remaining before Miss Stark's school detonates," Jarvis reminded the billionaire.

"Rhodey, you handle these guys. I have an errand to run," Tony said to his friend in the patriotic suit.

"What? No. Tony, I can't take this lunatic on my own!"

"Wasn't a question." Tony shot off in the direction of England, where his daughter was about to get blown up.

* * *

**A/N**

**Okay, this is the second last chapter! :) **

**Also, check out my new story. 'Prank War: Agents of SHIELD Edition'. Welcome to World War III**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N**

**Hey guys! This is the final chapter, and i'm sorry the battle scene is so... lame and unrealistic. I just drew a blank when writing it :(**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Iron Man**

* * *

"Hello?" Mrs Gilmore answered the telephone.

"Hi, I need-" Tony started.

"May I ask who is calling?"

"It's Tony Stark. I need you to evacuate the school and be at least a mile away. It's going to blow in forty minutes."

"Y-yes sir!" Mrs Gilmore said.

Tony hung up the line and sped up. He had almost entered Europe and was making his way to Charlotte's boarding school in England.

He displayed a live feed and communications coming directly from Rhodey's suit.

"Hey man," Rhodey answered.

"Hey, how's everything going?" Tony asked.

"...Great. Just great."

"How many gems have you got?"

"Just the one from before. He's not as powerful running on three gems but he's still a lot stronger than us."

"Just work on distracting him and taking out the gems. He'll be easier to defeat with an empty gauntlet," Tony instructed.

"Yep, I'm on it."

They kept the line going but neither were talking. Tony knew that Rhodey couldn't be distracted or else they could lose the whole battle. Rhodey needed every ounce of his energy focussed toward Thanos and Thanos only.

* * *

After a good solid thirty-five minute fly, Tony could see his daughter's boarding school in the distance. He could also see a massive group of school girls making their way away from the school.

"Jarvis, find Charlie," Tony instructed his A.I. Jarvis locked target on Charlotte who was among the girls who were escaping the explosion.

Now he was directly above them. Tony swooped down and was rocketing toward Charlotte. He grabbed a hold of her waist and made a quick turn upward. He could here the excited chatter of the girls in the group.

Charlotte grinned.

"I knew you wouldn't leave me out to die!" she said loudly, knowing that it'd be hard for Tony to hear in the wind.

"Hold on!" Tony yelled. He, even though he was in the suit, could feel Charlotte's grip tighten around him. He sped up to maximum speed, the speed he had used on his way to save Charlotte.

* * *

Tony had made it back to Los Angeles, with Charlotte still clinging to him for dear life. A couple of times on the way she had almost fallen. Once she even completely lost grip and Tony had to swoop to catch her again.

Tony had spotted Pepper, who had come to pick up Charlotte and take her to safety once Tony brought her back. He dropped his daughter off next to Pepper before taking off again. With the communication with Rhodey still connected, Tony told him to prepare to sneak up on Thanos, once the titan's attention was diverted to Tony.

"Hey shit-face!" Tony yelled. Thanos turned to see everyone's favourite Iron-clad superhero. Well, almost everyone's. Thanos lunged at Tony who quickly dodged, but not quickly enough. Thanos had tackled Tony to the ground. That was when Rhodey flew up behind them and knocked out the rest of the infinity gems with his repulsor rays. They each landed within a three foot radius around him. All three scrambled to pick up the gems, Tony grabbing the yellow, Rhodey snatching the orange, and unfortunately, Thanos captured the purple gem. Both Tony and Rhodey went for a tackle, but Thanos smoothly rolled away, missing the two men who collided into each other. Thanos scrambled for cover while at the same time attempting to form attacks. Thanos turned to check on how far away the two Iron Men were, slowing his pace. He turned back around but was swept from his feet by a large green hand which proceeded to smash the life out of the titan.

"Son of a gun," Tony muttered. Hulk, after finishing the mad titan off with one especially hard hit, stood panting.

After a few minutes of the heroes catching their breaths, Hulk morphed back to his naked human self while the two iron-clad men made their way over to greet him.

Charlotte ran over to Tony and gave him a massive bear hug, refusing to let go.

Several SHIELD agents came running out of no where to collect Thanos's cold, unconscious body while Director Fury came out of the shadows to hand Banner some clothes.

"Well done," Fury congratulated. The other Avengers came out to stand behind him

"What the hell? You said the others were on missions and I had to solve this crisis myself!" Tony yelled.

"I lied," Fury said simply.

"No shit you lied. But why?" Tony said furiously.

"To see if you could handle the pressure and defeat a major villain alone."

"So you're telling me, that this was all a test?" Tony asked, trying his best not to lash out at the director.

"Yes, that's exactly what I said."

"And you guys just went along with it?" Tony asked, gesturing to the other Avengers.

"Yes. And we were here for back-up the entire time. We also made discrete attacks," Romanoff added.

"Nice to know that I have a team that will always help me when the world is under ATTACK!" Tony said, his volume increasing by each word.

"Hello, Avengers," a robotic voice said from behind Tony.

"Ultron."

* * *

**A/N**

**There you have it folks, the last chapter of Charlotte's adventures.**

**Please review! I'd really like to break 100 reviews with this story! :D**


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